The Sun, The Moon and The Sea
by Twisted Vixen
Summary: Immediately after the retrieve Sasuke mission, Naruto is put in solitary confinement. The day he turns 16, Danzou makes a deal with Akatsuki. It sets in motion a chain of events that will bring 3 deadly ninja together and change the shinobi world. ItaNaru
1. The Sun

**Summary:** Immediately after the failed retrieve Sasuke mission, Naruto is put in solitary confinement thanks to a council vote that neither sannin can prevent. The day he turns 16, Danzou makes a deal with Akatsuki for the good of Konoha. It sets in motion a chain of events that will bring three deadly ninja together and change the shinobi world.

**Warnings:** ItaNaru pairing

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series or anyone in it sadly.

**--**

**Speaking:** "Blah blah"

**Thoughts:** _'Blah blah'_

**--**

**The Sun, The Moon, and The Sea**

**Chapter 1 – The Sun**

_Amaterasu_

_The sun goddess and ruler of the Plain of Heaven. She was so bright and radiant that her parents sent her up the Celestial Ladder to heaven, where she has ruled ever since. When the earth was ravaged, she disappeared. Her disappearance deprived the world of light and life._

_--_

Kakashi ran as fast as he could through the forest toward his destination. His charge was the last of the five that was being brought back to the village after the failed mission. It had been disastrous and every single one of the five were at least slightly injured…most were seriously to gravely injured. When he first saw the distinctive blonde headed, orange clad ninja laying face up in the valley, he had feared the worst. But when he felt the weak pulse he grabbed the boy up and ran. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the gates of Konoha ahead. Good, he was close to home. His load badly needed medical attention. Naruto would live, fortunately his tenant does its job well, but he was not in the greatest shape. Besides, Naruto and the Godaime seemed to have quite a connection. So he was sure she would want to make sure the boy was alright.

When he finally reached the gates, he was stopped by a group of masked shinobi.

"We will take him from here." The one in front said.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes in confusion. "By who's authority?" He didn't move to put the blonde bundle down.

"By that of the council, not that it's any of your business." That raised the silver-haired ninja's suspicions. His lazy demeanor belied his inner tension and he tightened his arms around his unconscious student. "But he needs medical attention. I was taking him to the hospital." He was trying to use anything he could to get him to the hokage and out of the hands of these men.

"This cannot wait. We'll make sure he gets the medical attention he needs. We will take him now."

That wasn't a request. That was an order. A part of Kakashi wanted to turn and run away with the blonde boy taking a chance and hoping to outrun the group of anbu. Something bad was going to happen, he knew it. But he also knew there was very little chance he'd make it out alive if he ran. Even without using his Sharingan, he could tell he was surrounded. He sighed. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to do as they asked. Hopefully he would be able to find Tsunade and she'll be able to stop whatever it is that the council is planning. He reluctantly handed over Naruto and watched as they disappeared with him. As soon as they were gone, he went to the hospital to find the Godaime and tell her the news.

* * *

Naruto moaned as he opened his eyes, only to immediately close them again at the bright light shining in them. He cracked his eyes open to little slits, waiting until they got used to the light before opening them a little more, then a little more, finally opening them fully. He turned his head looking around. He was confused. This wasn't his apartment. Was this the hospital? This wasn't his normal hospital room. He tried to move and couldn't. Looking down, he saw straps across his form holding him down. He was strapped down to the bed? What in the world was going on? He wiggled around a bit trying to get out, to no avail.

"Uzumaki Naruto. It is a pleasure to see you again after so long."

Naruto's eyes widened first, then narrowed before he began to growl. That voice triggered panic in the blonde. His memories of the person behind the voice were all bad. He struggled to get out of the bonds that held him down.

"Cease your struggles boy. You won't be getting out." Danzou moved forward out of the shadows so Naruto could see his wrapped face. "I think you and I have quite a bit to discuss."

"What do you want with me? Where's baa-chan?"

"You mean the current hokage? She's too busy to be with you right now boy. You see, almost all the other members of your team are close to dying."

Naruto gasped. He had been wondering how the rest of the team fared.

"So, since she's working on people much more important than you, we will do our best to take care of you."

The blonde swallowed. He was almost afraid to ask the obvious question. "W-What are you going to do?"

Danzou chuckled. "Hmm…what should I do with you? That's a very good question. Let's see, what would be fitting for someone who corrupted the last Uchiha-"

"What?! No I didn't…"

"…and caused him to leave the village, you got the rest of your team injured, possibly killed trying to find him…"

"But…it wasn't-"

"...and is a danger to the entire village because of what you hold inside you. What should I do with you?" He stared at the blonde with his one good eye. "I think it's finally time to put you in your place. Right after we fix you up."

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw the needle from the corner of his eye. Where did that nurse come from? "NO! What the hell are you doing?" He renewed the struggle to get out of his restraints. "Let go of me! I haven't done anything wrong."

The unknown person held him down and plunged the needle in his arm. Slowly Naruto's struggles ceased as whatever was in the vial took effect. Danzou leaned over watching the boy's eyes slowly glazing over.

"Sleep. When you wake up you'll be exactly where you belong."

Naruto tried to resist but he couldn't stop his eyes from closing.

--

When he woke up again, he shivered at the chill in the air and felt downwards trying to pull up his trusty blanket. He felt nothing so he opened his eyes and blinked. This wasn't his apartment! He sat up so quickly, his head spun. With a moan he put a hand at his forehead to steady himself. Then he looked around at the tiny space. "Where the hell am I?" There was hardly enough room to move more than to get out of bed, which was nothing more than a concrete slab with a cheap thin mattress. The door was metal, the walls, floor, and ceiling were rock. In the corner was a small toilet and sink. He wasn't sure he wanted to use either. They were filthy_. 'Am I dreaming?'_

He pinched himself…hard.

Nothing.

'_Genjutsu?'_

He put his fingers in the familiar symbol but then he noticed something on his wrists. Two metal bracelets. He put his fingers back in the symbol and tried to build up his chakra.

Nothing happened.

He couldn't feel anything. He couldn't even feel Kyuubi.

Naruto gulped in fear. He remembered fighting Sasuke. He remembered Kakashi telling him that Sasuke was gone while he was carrying him back to Konoha. He remembered seeing the old council dude. He bit his lip as his fear spiked to feverish proportions. _'Please please let this be genjutsu…please…'_

An hour or so later, he really wasn't sure - it seemed like forever – he heard keys in the lock and the door opened with a loud slow squeak. Danzou walked in slowly and stood close to the door. Naruto jumped up with the intent to bolt. He figured he could beat an old guy with a cane. With a yell he ran forward hoping to punch his way through him and out to freedom. Danzou dodged, faster than Naruto thought he could move. Another masked person appeared in his place and threw the blonde boy backwards so he hit the wall with a painful smack and fell to the floor.

Naruto tried to get up but pain shot through his back and up his spine and he cursed loudly collapsing back to the floor.

"Hurts doesn't it? Now that you have no fox to help you, you will finally know what real pain feels like." Danzou said as he watched Naruto deal with the pain.

"What did you do to me?" Naruto growled.

"I just made you a regular human like the rest of us. Isn't that what you always wanted?" The old council member chuckled mockingly. "Those bracelets and that collar block off your chakra. You won't be healing quickly. So…how do you like your new accommodations?"

Naruto moved a shaking hand up feeling the collar around his neck. "You can't keep me here. Baa-chan will get me out of here!"

"You have so much blind faith in her. She can't help you. Neither can your sensei. Neither can your friends. By now, most of them think you're dead."

"You lie!"

"And your sensei who brought you back is at this moment probably getting his most recent memories wiped. And because the council already approved of this action, Tsunade will be able to do nothing to help you. She also has no idea where you're being held. This place is unknown by anyone but high ranking members of Root."

"No…" Naruto whispered shaking his head.

"Oh yes boy. Enjoy your new home. You will be living here for a long time." The door slammed shut with a note of finality.

Naruto didn't move from his spot on the floor.

* * *

_Three years later_

The heavy metal door opened with a loud groan. It was stiff from disuse. The sound didn't phase the occupant behind the door.

He didn't even move a muscle. If one didn't know any better one would think he was a corpse. Only the slight movement of his breathing showed he was alive.

Uzumaki Naruto had been there for so long, he had learned to ignore everything and everyone. It's not like he was going anywhere. And the only people he ever saw were either Danzou or the person who would bring him some semblance of food.

If any of Naruto's friends saw him, they wouldn't recognize him. He looked nothing like the happy-go-lucky orange clad boy they had come to know. That golden skin he was known for was no more. Instead he was a sickly pale. The greasy blonde strands, once upon a time wild and untamable, flowed down like an old curtain, covering his face. He had gotten taller, as evidenced by the pants that stopped at his calves.

"Good evening Naruto." Danzou waited but really didn't expect a reply. The boy never spoke anymore. "I hope you didn't forget that today is your birthday. To celebrate, I'm going to take you on a little trip."

Two men walked up to the seemingly catatonic blonde and raised him onto his feet each of them holding one arm and pulled him out the cell.

The only action Naruto showed was to blink.

* * *

He was outside.

Outside.

It had been so long.

For the first time in a very long time, Naruto felt the urge to move.

He took a deep breath of the fresh air smelling slightly of leaves, dirt, food from distant homes. He stiffly moved his head to look up into the night sky and saw the stars twinkling beautifully. He next turned his head to look at his village. It looked like it hadn't changed much at all from the village he knew.

He wondered how everyone was. Was baa-chan still hokage? How was his old team? Had Sakura gotten any stronger? Was Kakashi-sensei still late every day? Was Ero-sennin at a hot springs right now being a pervert? Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Neji… Did Hinata still blush and stutter all the time? Konahamaru, Moegi, Udon, Iruka-sensei…

Iruka-sensei…

He wondered if he believed the lies. He hoped that, deep down, just maybe his favorite sensei would think that he was still alive, even if there wasn't much hope.

Gaara…

He might not know him well, but they were like brothers because of their circumstances. He wondered if he was less evil now.

Sasuke…

Was he still Sasuke? Or was he some weird Uchiha/Orochimaru hybrid by now? Had he gotten his revenge on Itachi yet?

Unfortunately, before he had the chance to enjoy his moment of freedom, he was moving. Fast. He hung on with shaky arms as the root ninja who carried him sped through the forest with the rest of their team and Danzou.

It took some hours before they reached a clearing. The moon was high in the sky and shining down. Because of it, Naruto had no trouble seeing the group in front of him that was waiting. The group was covered in black cloaks with red clouds.

Akatsuki.

The last group of people Naruto wanted to see were waiting for them.

Naruto looked around. He'd never seen these members before. Of course, the only two he'd really had any contact with were Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame. Those two were scary enough. They weren't surrounded, but they didn't have to be. No matter how good the Root Anbu were, if he was a betting person, he'd bet on Akatsuki. He doubted anyone would be able to defeat them. And most likely, they were there for him. Once that thought took up residence in his brain, he couldn't help the natural instincts that kicked in. Even though he could hardly move, he tried to struggle his weak body out of the anbu member's arms.

"I have held up my end of the bargain." Danzou called out. "I have the nine-tailed fox just as you requested. His chakra is bound and his body is weak. He should be no problem for you."

Naruto stopped struggling in shock. Now he understood.

"So you have." The man who answered him was quite tall and imposing with reddish orange hair and lots of piercings. "And since you have held up your end, we will hold to ours as well."

He had become a pawn.

"I have your word that Konoha will not be harmed?"

The man nodded "Of course." No one saw the malevolent gleam in the dark eyes. He turned and stared expectantly at the two men holding onto Naruto. They stepped away after a nod from Danzou. Naruto, his legs too weak from disuse, collapse to his knees on the ground. Even if he wanted to fight, to get away, he was too weak to move. Another member of Akatsuki stepped forward, this one with an orange mask. He knelt in front of the blonde and whispered something, then touched the pale forehead. Naruto passed out on the ground.

Instantly, all of the Akatsuki members disappeared, taking Naruto with them.

--

--

**a/n:** So, this is my new fledgling story. I hope it looks interesting enough to continue. The title is based on Japanese mythology, also the beginning of each chapter will be based on it. As the story moves along you will understand why. This is canon, but will end up quite a bit AU. Since Naruto disappeared from Konoha at 12, this will bring many changes to the normal narutoverse and I'm going to exploit all of them ;) Reviews are not required obviously but would be nice.


	2. The Moon

**a/n:** Holy crap! I've never had so many reviews for a first chapter. Thank you all. I'm glad people are interested in this story. Hopefully you'll enjoy this one as well.

**Summary:** Immediately after the failed retrieve Sasuke mission, Naruto is put in solitary confinement thanks to a council vote that neither sannin can prevent. The day he turns 16, Danzou makes a deal with Akatsuki for the good of Konoha. It sets in motion a chain of events that will bring three deadly ninja together and change the shinobi world.

**Warnings:** ItaNaru pairing, manga spoilers

**Disclaimer:** I would love to own Naruto Sasuke and Itachi, but I don't

**The Sun, The Moon, and The Sea**

**Chapter 2 – The Moon**

_Tsukiyomi_

_The god of the moon and the brother of the sun-goddess Amaterasu. As soon as Tsukiyomi was born, he climbed up the Ladder to Heaven and lived there with his sister. However, one day he angered Amaterasu with his violent actions. She was so angry that she refused to ever look at Tsukuyomi again, forever moving to another part of the sky. This is the reason that day and night are never together._

--

--

Uchiha Itachi sat against a tree, one knee up in a relaxed pose, looking out over the nighttime landscape. He and his partner, Hoshigaki Kisame, were on their way back to Akatsuki headquarters after another search, in vain, for the Kyuubi container. They stopped for the night and made camp with Kisame taking the first watch, since he was almost impossible to awaken once he fell asleep. And now here he was taking the second watch. He found a sort of peace in the quiet night. The moon was full and high in the sky, almost mesmerizing him with it's silent beauty. There was a bit of a chill in the air, but he didn't mind the crispness.

Unfortunately, it was these kinds of nights that took his mind back to the past.

Contrary to popular belief, Itachi was not completely heartless. He did feel, he just hid it very well. It was what he had been taught practically from his birth on. Shinobi did not show emotion. Uchiha did not show emotion. The mission was the most important. And his desire to be the perfect Uchiha and the ideal shinobi had him striving to be exactly that. Emotionless.

It had worked too well.

So, when he was given the mission, he didn't bat an eyelash. Even while knowing what he had been asked to do, he did his job as a shinobi should.

And even as he watched each person fall, saw their lifeblood pouring from them, heard their cries and screams, he didn't shed a tear. It was his mission and he had to fulfill it.

It was only when his brother came into the picture did a trickle of his emotions seep out.

Nights like these brought it all back. It made him think of his mother's smiles that she always gave him, his father's constant lectures, his little brother's blind admiration. Sadly, it was coupled with his frequent dreams, or should he say nightmares, of the visions he tried to keep buried...visions that had been memorized by his sharingan - his mother's quiet acquiescence of her fate, his father's disapproval at his betrayal of the clan, and his brother's hatred for him. That most of all made him want to cry. He had taken the boy's innocence and left him with nothing but misdirected hate.

Yes, it was for a purpose. But that did not assuage the prickings of guilt that he never outwardly showed. He sometimes wondered if he should've taken a different tact with him. Maybe then his foolish brother would've stayed home where he belonged instead of being lured by that snake, Orochimaru, of all people.

His thoughts centered around his brother to the point he didn't notice the first hints of dawn. At least not until a particularly loud snore shattered the quiet. He turned his head toward Kisame with a glare.

* * *

Itachi and Kisame slowly wound their way through the twists and turns of their underground headquarters. Neither said a word as they went. But that was common. The two may be partners, the two may have a mutual respect for one another, but neither could say they really liked each other.

Of course, as long as they could be counted on to watch each other's back, it didn't matter if they liked one another or not.

Kisame had been assigned as the Uchiha's partner almost immediately upon Itachi becoming a member of Akatsuki. Back then, he wasn't much different from the way he is now. Just younger. Still quiet and emotionless. There was nothing to go by. He was a blank slate. Not one bit of emotion was ever shown…not in his mouth, not in his eyes, not in his actions. It made him wary. People did say it was always the quiet ones...

The swordsman was the complete opposite - loud, brash, and he wore his emotions on his sleeve although most of it revolved around either angry bloodlust or amused bloodlust. Being one of the legendary swordsmen of the mist, as long as there was blood and violence and a chance to use his Samehada, he was happy.

They finally reached one of the lower levels where everyone resided. The upper levels were basically to discourage any strangers or ninja from going any further. There were hundreds of traps on each floor. If you weren't with someone who had an Akatsuki ring as identification, the traps sprung. And most of them were deadly.

Their immediate destination was the leader's room. Pein always wanted a report immediately after a mission. He wouldn't be very happy with this one, considering they haven't seen or heard anything about the boy containing the nine-tailed fox over the last week, or month, or year.... Reporting was such a boring affair. Itachi would do the talking. Kisame would stand behind him and wait. How it ended up that way neither of them knew. Probably because Itachi was an ex-anbu, and as such, gave a succinct, to the point report. Kisame, on the other hand, tended to want to report only the parts that interested him, which usually came down to the fighting. Everything else, that was probably more important, wasn't worth voicing.

The first thing they noticed upon getting to the hub of the Akatsuki hideout was the strange sense of excitement that permeated the air. Itachi was slightly curious as to the cause, but not enough to voice it. Besides, he knew if he waited long enough, Kisame would do the job for him. Usually, it was quiet even when some of the members were actually present. Most of them were more likely to spend their time on the road. And when any of them were there, it wasn't for long. Missions kept them busy enough. And since so much time was spent with your partners, when there was a chance for peace and quiet, each of them jumped at the opportunity. So each member tended to keep to themselves. Of course, there were always exceptions. They were named Hidan and Deidara. Itachi found them both to be loud and annoying, and in the case of Hidan, whiny. Neither of them could keep their mouths shut for long, and as if that wasn't enough, they wanted to get everyone else involved in their annoying pointless conversations. So Itachi found it in his best interests to stay in his own room and lock the door.

They passed Deidara in the hallway. Itachi hardly acknowledged the blonde bomber's presence. Kisame stopped and yelled at the ex-Iwa nin.

"Hey, what's going on around here?"

"You mean you haven't heard yet? We got the nine-tails un."

"What?"

"How?" Itachi had turned in interest once he heard that the nine-tailed fox was in their possession.

The cold voice made Deidara cringe. "How should I know? Sasori-danna and I just got back. I just heard from Hidan un."

Kisame chuckled. "Well, guess that means our job is done, eh Itachi?"

"Hn." Itachi turned and walked away. He wasn't sure how to feel about this new development. He was surprised to hear that Akatsuki already had the Kyuubi jinchuuriki in their grasp. With the way Konoha seemed to keep the blonde boy on a tight leash, he figured the fox would be the hardest to get. That was why he and Kisame, after their run-in with the toad sannin a few years ago, had decided to observe the blonde until a convenient moment to take him. But then one day he all but disappeared. They couldn't find a trace of him. He didn't know whether it was because Konoha confined him to the village or if they had hidden him because of the threat from Akatsuki. But from that moment on, he and Kisame had been given the long-term assignment to track him down.

He was a bit annoyed that the leader hadn't let them know the fox had been captured so they wouldn't have spent the past week on such a wild goose chase. It further irritated him that he would still have to report to the leader even though he knew that the nine-tailed fox was there. His sigh was the only outward sign of his annoyance.

The partners finally stopped at a set of wooden double doors adorned with all types of designs and runes that had been carved into the wood. Itachi raised a hand and knocked on the ornate door and waited.

"Enter."

He opened the door and walked in with Kisame on his heels. Kisame closed the door behind him and they both stood waiting to be acknowledged. Pein was sitting at his desk writing. Both knew very well not to interrupt. Pein would say something only when he was good and ready.

So, they waited.

A couple of minutes went by before Pein finally looked up and stared into Itachi's red eyes. "Ah Itachi." He looked at the shark-man behind the Uchiha. "Kisame...you've both returned."

Itachi gave the man a nod. "We were here to make our report about the whereabouts of the Kyuubi container...but I have heard that it is useless to you now."

"Ah yes." Pein made a show of putting away what he had been working on. He felt like smirking at the two men before him. "I see you've heard the news."

"Hn." Itachi was sure he heard a sort of taunting amusement in the man's voice.

"The nine-tails is in our possession, thanks to someone who wants to make an alliance with us. You have probably heard the name before, at least in passing, since you are from Konoha. His name is Danzou." Pein saw a flicker of recognition. Also something else, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. He wondered what kind of history the Uchiha had with that man. "I see the name is familiar to you. He is seeking to ally himself with Akatsuki in order to save Konoha. The jinchuuriki was the peace offering. Of course, that means your assignment is complete."

Itachi said nothing. Kisame's gruff voice cut in though. "So what does that mean for us?"

"Well, normally I would just reassign you both to capture one of the other vessels. However, I have something different in mind. For the time being, I will assign you both to watch him until we do the extraction."

"That's it?!" Kisame wasn't happy. Samehada needed chakra and blood every once in a while. So did he, actually.

"Do you have a problem with that?" His eyes bored into Kisame's yellow ones and the mist nin felt a flash of fear. He refused to show it though.

"No."

"Good. You will also, at times, be assigned to help the others in capturing the other jinchuuriki if I deem it necessary."

Kisame grumbled a bit. He was somewhat satisfied by that possibility. "So how long are we going to have to babysit the brat?"

"We must capture the other four first and have the beasts extracted. The nine-tails will be left for last. It's the only way it can be done. So it may be a few weeks, depending on how quickly we take care of the others."

Itachi nodded, not really caring what his assignment was. He was looking forward to a long hot shower and his own comfortable bed. He could care, if he wanted, about the jinchurriki at another time.

"He is in one of the cells below. The boy is weak right now. But I want to be sure he will stay that way, which is why you have him as your asssignment. Right now, Zetsu is on watch. You will begin your new assignment first thing tomorrow."

"Understood." Itachi stated with Kisame nodding in agreement.

Pein waved a hand in dismissal. "That is all. You may go."

Both members exited the room quickly and quietly.

* * *

Itachi stood under the shower. Unfortunately, no one would be able to witness one of the only times the seemingly emotionless ninja showed signs of satisfaction. He'd been on the road for the last week without staying in any kind of accommodations, having to make do with a lacking sort of hygiene, and having to deal with his loud and violent partner. This was exactly what he needed. He felt his tight muscles relax, his headache went away, and for once he turned off his sharingan, allowing his eyes to go back to their natural shade of dark gray.

Once done with his shower, he dressed in a pair of black sweats and a black t-shirt and sat in a chair to let his hair dry while he read a book.

Or at least attempted to.

He couldn't concentrate. He tried to read the same page five different times before tossing it aside knowing he wasn't going to get anything out of it. Instead, he went to bed. But sleep wouldn't come either. His mind was too preoccupied with a certain Kyuubi holder.

Who was right here in Akatsuki headquarters.

It bothered him that the boy was here. In all the scenarios he'd created in his head, none of them included the Uzumaki boy being brought to Akatsuki so easily. Pein said he was weak. Weak was the last word he would have assigned to the blonde boy. At least not the one he had observed a little over three years ago. He had been brash, stubborn, loud, unrelenting in his beliefs and desire to be accepted. And with the extra power from Kyuubi, he had no doubt that when Naruto applied himself, he would become one of the strongest young shinobi in Konoha.

So what could have happened?

Of course, it wasn't any of his business. He shouldn't even care.

But Pein just had to mention Danzou. His sharingan flashed reflexively. He hated that name. Just hearing that man's name triggered unpleasant memories unbidden from where they had been locked tight in his mind and heart. And although he didn't regret what he had done, he hated that man for manipulating him for his own selfish reasons. What happened to his clan was inevitable, really.

That man would always do whatever he had to, always in the name of Konoha, supposedly doing what was best for the village - yet serving his own selfish interests. Is that why there had been no trace of Uzumaki Naruto for the last few years?

He stood suddenly, knowing sleep would be long in coming, and grabbed his cloak from the chair, putting it on as he walked out of his room. He wanted answers. And the only way he could get them was to see the boy for himself.

* * *

Naruto hardly twitched on the bed, he was so still. This cell was so much bigger than the one he was confined to in Konoha. Not any less cold though. But he didn't even shiver. He had grown used to freezing in cells over the years. He rolled his eyes and gave a light snort. It was kind of sad that he was comparing jail cells now. He was starting to understand why the Kyuubi hated his jail so much and did nothing but sleep.

What a way to spend a sixteenth birthday. Most teenagers would be celebrating, having cake, getting presents from friends, looking forward to what the future would bring. Not him. Noooo. He was locked in a cell for the third straight year. The only thing he had to look forward to was dying a painful death by having chakra sucked out of him like a vacuum. Wonderful.

_'Happy birthday to me.'_

Despite his posture, he was still alert, much more so than he was back in Konoha. He didn't know why really. He had completely given up all hope while holed up in that tiny cell. He had become the living dead. But once they brought him outside, he dared to hope for something. Seeing the village again after so long and breathing in clean air brought him back to life. Unfortunately, the flame of hope died when the trip only led to another cell and put him into an even worse situation. In many ways, he wished he had remained blissfully numb. At least maybe then, when the stupid Akatsuki sucked him to death, he wouldn't care enough to feel it.

He heard footsteps coming toward his cell, but he didn't move. Not like it mattered, not like they'd talk to him anyway. They were all his enemies that just wanted his power. Soon they would finally get it. And then maybe, just maybe, he'd finally be at peace. He heard a short conversation, although he was unable to decipher the actual words. He knew it was two people. After that, he heard one pair of footsteps walking away while the other pair came closer. Then he felt a presence in front of his cell but he didn't bother acknowledging it. They probably just wanted to watch him, taunt him with their plans of world domination by means of his demonic chakra. He was starting to wish, though, that whoever it was would quit staring. It was unnerving him. But it wasn't enough to make him speak or move.

He almost couldn't believe he'd changed so much in three years. Before he was taken, he would've had no problem looking up in defiance and cursing out the offending person. He wanted to sigh sadly, but didn't have the energy.

"I didn't expect to see you here so soon Naruto-kun."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. That voice... He slowly turned his head to the side, he couldn't stop himself, and ended up looking into the eyes of the one Akatsuki member that was almost the spitting image of who was once his best friend.

"Itachi." he whispered with a voice gravelly from disuse. It was the first word he'd spoken in many months.

--

Itachi had walked down the corridor leading to the cell. He saw Zetsu and said a few words to the plant man before the weird grass-nin left.

Now he stood in front of the cell staring at what was now a shadow of the boy he'd seen years before.

Itachi couldn't believe it. If he was anyone but an Uchiha, his shock would've shown. When Pein had said he was weak, he had assumed that the blonde had been weakened after fighting and Danzou took advantage of it by capturing him, taking away the boy's chakra, and bargaining him off to Akatsuki.

Oh how wrong he was.

There was no resemblance between this teenager and the young genin he had known. He was pale…so pale. Almost translucent. That seemed impossible for someone that originally had such a golden tan. Naruto always looked like he spent every day sitting in the sun. He was older now...taller. And he was so much thinner. In fact, it looked like he hadn't seen a good meal in forever. Even though most of the blonde hair was covered by the thin reclining body, he could tell it was very long, no longer spiky. A layer of grime covered him and what was left of his clothing, making him look like he hadn't had a good bath in months. But the most striking thing were the dead blue eyes. What was once the most lively thing about him - besides his mouth - was now dull and lifeless with dark circles under them. There was nothing there anymore…no personality, no fire, no determination. _'Who did this to you?'_

"Danzou." came the raspy reply, followed by a dry cough. Itachi blinked. He didn't even noticed he'd asked the question aloud. Though that did confirm his suspicions.

"Hn."

Naruto couldn't help himself...he chuckled in between dry coughs. Maybe he was going crazy, but for some reason it amused him to hear the familiar lack of speaking that could only come from an Uchiha, even if it was the wrong one.

Itachi felt...something. The whole situation did not settle well with him at all. There was something that unnerved him about the whole thing. It didn't seem right to see such an enigmatic person turned into something so lifeless. He watched the blonde struggle to speak. There was no water in the cells, which meant he would have to go all the way to the makeshift kitchen to get some. He'd wait until the morning.

"Kisame and I have been assigned to guard you during your stay. I will bring you food and water in the morning." he said in his usual cold voice.

"It doesn't matter." Naruto rasped. Itachi sharingan flared and spun. If Naruto had been his old self, although his old self wasn't all that observant either, he probably would have noticed that until now, Itachi had been showing his true eye color and not the sharingan.

"We may be considered criminals to many people, but we are not barbarians. You will be fed just like everyone else." Itachi said before turning and walking away.

Naruto sighed and turned his head back to stare at the ceiling. What he wouldn't give to be numb again.

--

--

**a/n:** And that's a wrap. Penny for your thoughts. Well, or send me a review since it's free and always appreciated. XD Don't mind me...I'm a bit loopy today. Must be the snow and freezing cold weather we're having.


	3. The Sea

**a/n: ** Wow, this chapter was a bit harder than I originally planned. Mostly because I don't want to give away too much yet. But I worked through it and here it is now for your enjoyment (hopefully).

**Summary:** Immediately after the failed retrieve Sasuke mission, Naruto is put in solitary confinement thanks to a council vote that neither sannin can prevent. The day he turns 16, Danzou makes a deal with Akatsuki for the good of Konoha. It sets in motion a chain of events that will bring three deadly ninja together and change the shinobi world.

**Warnings:** ItaNaru pairing; Possible manga spoilers throughout the story.

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Naruto

**The Sun, The Moon and The Sea**

**Chapter 3 – The Sea**

**--  
**

_Susanoo_

_The god of the sea and the storms and brother of the sun goddess Amaterasu and the moon god Tsukiyomi. He has a highly volatile temper yet has a hidden kind and generous side. During his visit with Amaterasu, he lost control and his reckless destructive actions caused Amaterasu to close herself off in a cave plunging the world into complete darkness._

--

"Orochimaru-sama...is...dead..."

Sasuke and Kabuto stared each other down.

"Wait...it's more like..."

Sasuke smirked as he saw Kabuto suddenly come to the correct realization. "That's right...I've taken over." Orochimaru was stupid to think that he would actually give his body away. He'd worked too long and hard to become powerful enough to kill his brother. He wasn't about to sit in the background in some little corner of Orochimaru's head and allow the snake to have his vengeance. Avenging his clan's massacre was HIS mission, HIS purpose. He had prepared three years for this. He would kill him with his own two hands, with his own consciousness. No snake was going to take his destiny away from him.

So he had beat Orochimaru at his own game while he was weaker. Instead of the snake sannin taking over his body, he'd used the sharingan to suppress him instead. He had nothing more to learn anyway. He had grown too powerful to have need of Orochimaru's assistance any longer.

And now it was time to finally accomplish what he had intended to do since he was 7 years old.

He was ready.

* * *

Danzou sat back in his chair in his office at Root Headquarters. A small smile of accomplishment adorned his bandaged face. He had just killed two birds with one stone. He had finally gotten rid of the demon brat and he made sure Konoha would remain safe in the process. Giving up the Kyuubi jinchuuriki was a small price to pay for gaining protection by means of Akatsuki.

Now it was time to implement the next stage of his plan. He had patiently waited for his time to come. That blonde nuisance, Tsunade, had swooped in and taken his coveted position. What was it about him and blondes getting in his way? First that brat Minato, then Naruto, and now Tsunade. Well, it didn't matter anymore because now it was his turn. He'd pull the rug right out from under the sake addicted woman. Not that she'd notice now anyway.

No one would argue now about taking her position. Since Naruto's "death" she had become a shell of her former self. She'd lost her drive, her determination. He knew it was because of the Uzumaki boy. Ever since the news of the boy's supposed demise, she ignored her position, preferring to drink herself into a stupor. She skipped council meetings and ignored the elders.

Tsunade was no longer fit to rule and he was right there ready and willing to take her place. And he would make sure the village would be happy about it. He would make them see that he was the best person to take on the responsibility of carrying Konoha into the future.

A knock on his door interrupted his internal planning.

"Enter."

A teenager, looking to be about 16 walked in. He was very pale. And with the dark hair and eyes, almost had the look of a male china doll. He was clad in the typical black ops uniform. Walking forward, he kneeled before his master awaiting permission to stand.

"Rise young one."

The young man did as he was told and stood at attention before Danzou. His features were completely blank, impassive.

"This message came for you Danzou-sama." He said without a bit of inflection in the emotionless voice. He handed over the sealed scroll with a bow. Danzou took the scroll from him and read the contents. His eyes narrowed at a certain point before returning to his normal calm façade. He sent a nod toward the young man as a dismissal. The younger one was about to take his leave when he was stopped.

"You have been an exemplary ninja thus far young one. For that, you will be rewarded. You don't have a name yet do you?"

"No Danzou-sama."

"I shall remedy that for you now. From this point on you will be known as Sai."

"Thank you Danzou-sama."

"You may go now Sai."

With another bow, the teenaged boy now known as Sai, left the room. Danzou sat back in his chair with a dark chuckle. "So...the young Uchiha has grown strong enough to dispose of his master." Orochimaru was a man who had once had Danzou's grudging respect. He was strong, smart, an amazing shinobi. However, the snake was doomed by his search for immortality. Danzou was no idealist. He knew death was an eventuality that even the most powerful of humankind faced. He was not afraid of dying. It was inevitable. He just wanted to make sure Konoha would live on as the strongest village in the shinobi nations, even the world, before he finally succumbed to his final sleep.

The last Uchiha had been under Orochimaru's tutelage and therefore, he could not touch him. But now that the snake was gone…

He summoned his best Root members. He wasn't sure what the Godaime would do about the traitor. He didn't care. He would not wait for her permission. He would take care of it the way he wanted. When the ninja arrived, he outlined their newest mission.

"You are to hunt down the S-ranked missing nin, Uchiha Sasuke. Find him and kill him. Bring back his head."

"Yes Danzou-sama." The group of 12 bowed and disappeared.

Danzou folded his hands on his desk and smirked.

Yes, things were definitely going his way.

* * *

It was early morning. Naruto hadn't moved an inch since the night before. He flicked his eyes to the side toward the barred doors. Itachi had said he would bring him food and water, but he hadn't seen him yet. He felt a split second flash of disappointment before it disappeared and left him with his normal apathy. He closed his eyes. It wouldn't surprise him if he'd lied. They played the game enough in his previous prison. It was so silent that he could hear faint noises that sounded like screams coming from somewhere far above. He briefly wondered what was happening before he remembered what a waste it was to bother wondering about anything anymore.

So he did what he had become very adept at over the last couple of years...sleep. Although sometimes, it wasn't really sleeping as much as just shutting down. Sometimes it was for hours. Other times it went on for days. He was secretly hoping if he stayed that way long enough, he wouldn't wake up again.

A few hours later he was awakened by a noise. He opened his eyes just barely and saw blue skin in the corner of his eye. So it would be the shark man guarding him today instead of Itachi. Not surprising...they were a team after all. But he really had no desire to hear the gruff man talk so he closed his eyes once again and prepared to ignore everything around him.

"Hey I know you're awake fox brat. I'm here to make sure you don't try anything stupid."

Naruto rolled his eyes behind his lids. What could he possibly do in his position. He was in a cell, he had no energy because of lack of food, and he had on chakra restraints. The only stupid thing for him would be to attempt to move.

He didn't even notice that, no matter how minute the action, he had just physically responded to someone with a bit of the old Naruto.

* * *

Tsunade sighed and closed her eyes, putting down the scroll that she'd been holding in her hand. It had been sent to her by Jiraiya.

The news she received was something she dreaded, yet knew would happen one day.

Orochimaru was dead.

It proved that no matter how powerful he was or how many times he used the Fushi Tensei technique that he developed, he was still mortal. Human.

And life was short...transient.

It made her feel old.

She growled and reached down into her drawer taking another sake from her private stash. Pouring it into a dish, she proceeded to drink away her sorrow. As she drank, she thought back to the Orochimaru who had been her teammate. The kind, quiet, introverted and yet powerful prodigy Orochimaru. The one that wasn't arrogant and fixated on power. The one that wasn't sadistic and conducting secret experiments on human beings. The one that wasn't obsessed with immortality.

They were the elite back then. The Sandaime Hokage's students. The Sannin of Konoha. But his death only served as a reminder that their time was ending. She could generate the youthful image as much as she wanted, but that only hid the facts from others...not from herself. Her pride had always kept her from revealing her true persona. However, at a certain point she had to admit to herself that she was no longer a spring chicken. She was a 54 year old woman. Thanks to the transformation technique, she had the look of a twenty year old. Unfortunately, the youthful vigor of that young age didn't come along with it. She felt the aches and pains. She knew that underneath the mask hid the wrinkles.

A new age was dawning. A new crop of ninja were set to surpass them. Soon they would take over and continue what they, and those before them, had begun. Maybe out of this group would come the new sannin.

With another sigh she poured a new round and drank it down.

In another place and time, maybe if that gaki was still alive...maybe if Team 7 had stayed together, who knows what they could've been. They had such pure raw potential. Sasuke was the genius powerhouse like Orochimaru. Sakura had the booksmarts and perfect chakra control like she did. And Naruto was the goofball with tons of untapped potential, much like Jiraiya.

Unfortunately Naruto was gone. And the rest? Well...did it really matter anymore?

This time she grabbed the bottle and drank straight from it.

How much more loss could she take? It was too much. So much death she'd seen over the years. So many of her precious people - Nawaki...Dan...Naruto.... Even Orochimaru, while evil, was still her teammate and it hurt.

She poured once more and held her saucer out in the air. When she looked up, one could see the two tears that slowly trailed down her cheeks.

"Kampai you baka hebi."

* * *

A very distinctive group stood together. A redhaired female, A white haired male carrying a huge sword, and another man, taller than the rest. Sasuke stood among the three he had just released.

"It's time I explained my purpose to you. I'm going to kill Uchiha Itachi of the Akatsuki and I want you all to help me."

And then he had to watch and wait as Suigetsu and Karin argued. No wonder he liked to work alone. If he wasn't among them, he might've facepalmed and shook his head. Why did he always end up with people like this? It was like seeing Naruto and Sakura all over again.

Sasuke blinked. Then inwardly shuddered. Why was he still thinking of him? He had no reason to think of him and definitely not her. Those people meant nothing. He forcibly wiped the offending thoughts from his mind and waited for their decision.

Suigetsu smirked at Karin. He already knew she would go with Sasuke. "I plan on sticking close to Sasuke. Hoshigaki Kisame, one of the seven swordsman of the mist, is with them. I will defeat him and take his sword."

Karin rolled her eyes in disgust. "You're just gathering swords. That's so lame."

"No lamer than you wanting to go with the group just to be near your precious Sasuke-kun."

She glared.

He glared.

"Suigetsu..." Sasuke glared.

"Fine…whatever…" He grumbled with a shrug and then turned to the peaceful looking Juugo. "Well? You're free now. What do you want to do?"

"Kimimaru risked his life for him. I need to see for myself how strong a shinobi he is."

Sasuke nodded. "Then it's settled. Our group will now be known as Hebi. Hebi has only one purpose..." His glare intensified. "...to find and kill Uchiha Itachi."

* * *

Itachi was on his way to the kitchen to make some broth. Not for himself, but for their prisoner. He didn't give it much thought beyond making sure the jinchuuriki didn't waste away to nothing while waiting for the other tailed beasts to be sealed. Naruto looked like a pathetic shell. Itachi had no doubt that another month of malnutrition and he'd be dead. Without the Kyuubi's power, there was no way the boy could live without eating for too long.

And he was not going to allow that to happen.

He heard heavy footsteps and felt the chakra of the one person he really didn't want to see. So he turned to the pot and watched the water boil, hoping to ignore the other presence.

"Tachi-sempai! Tobi knows something you don't." Yes, he would definitely ignore him. Unlike almost everyone else in Akatsuki, he knew exactly who the hyperactive, childlike, masked person really was.

"Come on Tachi-sempai! Guess!"

"Hn."

"Aw...why won't you play with Tobi?"

Itachi turned finally, hiding his irritation behind his cold image. "I don't have time for games."

Tobi giggled, but the giggle slowly changed into a deeper chuckle. The figure glided up to Itachi, exhibiting none of the energetic or clumsy qualities that were part of the goofy persona. He leaned close to Itachi and whispered in his ear. "You know what they say about all work and no play…"

Itachi didn't move a muscle, even though the man was much more intimidating than his guise let on. But Itachi was still an Uchiha and could be just as intimidating if need be.

"Why are you here?" The man known as Tobi moved a foot away and raised his hands in a submissive manner.

"Oh Itachi...you're so cold to your uncle."

Itachi raised a brow. "What do you want?" He knew that orange mask hid a knowing smirk. He hated that man, although he took great pains not to reveal it.

"I have some news you might find interesting."

Itachi waited for the other Uchiha to finish. For some reason, the man loved to drag things out so he could be dramatic.

"Our old friend Orochimaru seems to have finally met his demise."

_'Good riddance.'_ Itachi thought. "And why should I care?"

"Ah…that is the best part." He clapped his hands with undisguised glee. "You see, I've heard that your brother was the one who killed him."

There was a moment of silence before Itachi answered. "Hn." _'Sasuke has become more powerful. It won't be long now.'_

"Little Sasuke has become quite powerful over the last few years. You might have to work harder to stay alive Itachi." With a laugh, like it was such a great joke, Tobi left the room.

Itachi turned back to the stove and finished the broth, then ladled it into a cup and grabbed a straw. He assumed Naruto wouldn't be able to hold a spoon yet and although he might not be evil enough to leave him with no food, he sure as hell wasn't about to feed the boy. He would not stoop so low.

As he went down the stairs to the cells, he realized that Tobi had accomplished exactly what he wanted. His mind was now filled with thoughts of his brother. Damn him!

He could feel the change in the air. Things were about to change.

'_I wonder...what will you do now otouto?'_

_--_

_--_

**Fushi Tensei **- Living Corpse Reincarnation (Immortality jutsu)

**Otouto **- Younger brother

**a/n:** So anybody think they know what the screams were that Naruto heard? I'll give you cookies if you know. :D Well, now you know who 'The Sea' is. And now that the 3 part prologue is taken care of, it's time for the real story to begin. Anyways, thanks for reading. Reviews are appreciated. :)

p.s. Thanks to Kitten for pointing out that Suigetsu's hair is White. Darn it, blame the fanart I have that has his hair looking aqua blue XD


	4. The Light Has Gone Out

**a/n:** Thank you to all my faithful readers. Your reviews always make my day. I can't believe this story has well over 100 reviews in only three chapters. THANK YOU!!!! And for anyone who guessed that the screaming in the last chapter was one of the bijuu being extracted, you are right! Cookies and much love for you!

**Summary:** Immediately after the failed retrieve Sasuke mission, Naruto is put in solitary confinement thanks to a council vote that neither sannin can prevent. The day he turns 16, Danzou makes a deal with Akatsuki for the good of Konoha. It sets in motion a chain of events that will bring three deadly ninja together and change the shinobi world.

**Warnings:** ItaNaru pairing. Yep. You're still wondering how the heck I'm going to pull that off, aren't you? XD ; Also, this will divert quite a bit from canon. That's your warning for this chapter. I'll explain more at the end of it. And of course, warnings for manga spoilers.

**Disclaimer:** I would love to own Naruto, Sasuke and Itachi, but I don't.

**The Sun, The Moon and The Sea**

**Chapter 4 – The Light Has Gone Out**

--

_When Susanoo ravaged the earth, Amaterasu retreated to the heavenly cave and sealed it with a giant boulder. As a result of her disappearance, the world was consumed with darkness, depriving the world of light and life. Everything began to wither and die. Demons ruled the earth._

--

Tsunade stood and stared out the window at the village she had agreed to protect. Civilians milled about in the markets, young genin trained in the fields, others did D-rank missions, the newest generation ran around on the playground at the academy playing ninja. With a sigh she pulled out a hidden bottle of sake and poured some for herself.

Most would never see or understand it, but this was not the Konoha she knew anymore. There was a dark cloud that hung over the village now...a tangible sort of sadness. It was not something she could identify really or pinpoint exactly how or when it happened...although she suspected the loss of a certain shinobi was at the top of the list of reasons.

Uzumaki Naruto was a bright ball of sunshine. Just by smiling or grinning, and with his endless bravado and determination, he seemed to brighten most everyone's day. He could make everyone smile, even when one didn't want to.

But no one smiled anymore.

The sun didn't seem to shine the same way either...

And at that very moment, it began to rain.

With a sigh, she gulped down more sake. This wasn't what she wanted for herself. She never wanted to be hokage in the first place, didn't even want to come back to Konoha. It always hurt too much to come here. She left to forget and never planned on coming back. It was the brat's fault that she returned. But now he had become another name on her cursed list of necklace recipients. And it was taking more and more effort every day to even care about the village or most of its inhabitants, since most of them hated the boy who'd become sort of like a bratty nephew or son to her in such a short time. It was no secret that most of the civilian population was happy to have the menace gone from their lives. And every time she saw one of those people, it made her want to hurl back a chakra enhanced fist and punch them.

Lately she's been thinking a lot of leaving all of this behind and going back on the road. Only Naruto's voice was stopping her.

Her musings were interrupted by two shinobi who suddenly appeared in her office. The slightly drunk Tsunade growled unhappily at the interruption. She glared at the two shinobi standing before her.

"What do you want?"

"A message for you from Suna." The less fearful of the two replied, handing her the scroll. Her eyes narrowed once she opened the scroll and found it wasn't even coded. But the words she read incited her anger and with one slam of her chakra enforced fists, another of her heavy wooden desks was destroyed. An animalistic glare was sent to the two already fearful shinobi, who now were doing their best not to shrink away.

"SHIZUNE!!!"

The quiet secretary miraculously appeared within seconds. "Yes Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade grabbed an empty scroll and a pen and proceeded to write sideways against what was left of her desk. Rolling it up, she sealed it and passed it to her secretary. "Send a messenger bird with this message now."

"Right away Tsunade-sama." The younger woman swiftly left the room. The two ninja were about to follow.

"You two!" They stopped a foot from the door and turned, both looking sufficiently frightened. "Bring me Team Asuma."

* * *

Asuma, Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino stood before what was once the desk of the Godaime Hokage. Asuma's eyes widened. Ino was reduced to unladylike gawking. Shikamaru raised a brow at the damage before looking at his best friend. "Troublesome..."

Chouji shrugged.

"I have an A-ranked mission for you. As I'm sure you've heard, ever since the death of the Kazekage, Sand has been embroiled in civil war. Unfortunately, the rebels have grabbed the upper hand and have taken over Suna. The few remaining ones who were able to escape are on their way here led by Temari and Kankuro. Your mission is to meet them and escort them here safely."

Asuma nodded. "We accept."

"Good, leave as soon as you're ready. Dismissed!"

Tsunade sighed at the mess in her office, as well as the mess in Suna. Rubbing her temples together she thought about what had happened over the last few months. Gaara had been captured by Akatsuki while trying to protect the village. She sent three teams to help, but they were too late. By the time they got to the Akatsuki hideout, the young Kazekage had died due to the extraction of his demon.

There had been quite a large turnout for the memorial service. Many of Suna's residents had come to accept Gaara and were quite saddened at his death. However, unbeknownst to them, there was another secret group, quite large, who did not like Gaara or the council. So the moment all the representatives from Konoha were gone, the war for control began. Because it was internal, there was nothing Konoha could do to help.

Sighing - she's been doing way too much of that lately - she pinched the bridge of her nose. Then she started a new scroll. She needed to make plans for some Suna refugees. She was also pretty sure that the treaty between Konoha and Suna would soon be null and void if this new group had anything to do with it. The council was not going to be happy.

* * *

It was the first time he'd visited the memorial stone in over three years.

Kakashi walked forward with his hands stuffed in his pockets. The rain poured down, but he hardly noticed. He was dressed in the white uniform of ANBU. Yes, he had returned to the elite unit. There was no point of remaining a jounin sensei if he didn't have a team. Team 7 was no more. So, what would he do? Train Sakura? It was a waste of time for him to train one person, let alone one girl who had such weak chakra and refused to do more than what was necessary. She had never amounted to much of a kunoichi. She was too busy fawning after boys...well, one particular boy. She had always been more interested in watching him and trying to impress him instead of training to become a competent ninja.

So he went to the new hokage and told her of his intentions. Sakura was eventually placed on another team and he went back to ANBU. It was where he belonged. He never asked for a genin team anyway. The Sandaime was the one who forced his hand for so long. He was better off alone or at least with a group of ninja he didn't have to do anything but give orders to. He wasn't any good at being a sensei or a babysitter. Team 7 was a good enough example of that. At least now he could be alone to wallow in his misery.

He looked down at all the names. So many names. Too many.

Why had he stayed away for so long? He had paid his respects at the stone each and every morning he was in the village for years after sensei's death. So why?

He could say he was too busy with missions, that he was outside the village too often, that he forgot. But it would all be lies. The truth was, he was ashamed. He had failed...failed in so many ways. What would Obito and Rin think? What would Minato-sensei say?

He closed one eye with a sigh. He reopened it and then with one finger began to trace the many engraved names. Names that were carved not just on the stone, but on his heart as well. Rin...Uchiha Obito...Namikaze Minato...Uzumaki Naruto...

'_I'm sorry.'_

An unnoticed tear fell from his eye. It mixed with the rain and did its part to soak the dark mask he wore.

'_A ninja must see underneath the underneath...Those who break the rules are trash...But those who don't take care of their comrades are lower than trash.'_

Kakashi sat down next to the stone looking more tired than ever before. He truly had failed. If he was honest with himself, he was just as bad as the rest of the village. Naruto, to him, was the clown, the dead last...he had always underestimated the boy. He never looked under the bravado to see the insecure persecuted child he was - a young boy living with a huge burden, one that, for most of his young life, he didn't even understand.

He never thought that, just maybe Naruto was the dead last because no one paid attention to him. He should have realized the day of the bell test that Naruto had such a hard time with basic concepts because no one ever taught him. He should have paid more attention. He should have trained not just him, but the whole team better.

He'd failed the entire team. They didn't fail...he did.

_'I'm sorry...'_

He tried to think of how much he'd taught them. It didn't take long. Teamwork and climbing trees. That was it really. Of course, they sparred and did some weapons training. But could he really say he taught them what they needed? Maybe he should have spent less time reading his book or visiting the memorial and been on time. Then he could've given them more training. Maybe he should've forced Sakura to see from the very beginning that being a shinobi was a role one took seriously...that there was no time for schoolgirl crushes. He could've helped her build her small chakra reserves. Maybe he should have spent extra time helping Naruto learn the basics he missed. Instead, of the small amount of attention he doled out, most of it went to the last Uchiha. And now he regretted ever giving the vengeance minded boy the time of day. He only used the power to murder his own teammate.

In his mind's eye, it was all he could see now. The blonde boy's body lying there in the valley so still.

'_I'm sorry...Naruto.'_

And now he knew an even bigger truth. Not only had he failed Naruto, he had failed the boy's father...his sensei. The news came as a shock to him. And yet, once the idea sunk in, he wasn't all that surprised. How could he have never noticed the resemblance? Maybe it was because he had spent so much time avoiding the boy as a small child because the thing inside him had caused his sensei's death and it hurt to look at him. Then, once he was assigned to his genin team, in his mind, he'd classified him as the weakest link and a goof off and decided the boy wasn't worth his time.

In all that time, he'd never looked underneath the underneath to understand why the man had used Naruto...why Naruto resembled the long deceased hokage.

_'I'm sorry...Minato-sensei.'_

* * *

Team Kurenai waved at Team Asuma as they passed each other. Kurenai and her team were just getting back from their first C-ranked mission as a complete group. She looked over at the only other female in the team. Hinata had performed well enough, but not as well as she could have. The girl had changed so much over the last few years, the genjutsu specialist wondered if she would ever be the same.

When the Uzumaki boy died, she didn't even tell them the news immediately. It was bad enough that Kiba almost died during the doomed retrieval mission. On top of that, Neji had been very close to death. No matter that he had almost killed her, Hinata still loved him. Revealing anymore tragedy to her at that moment would have certainly broken her beyond repair.

But in the end, it really didn't matter. Hinata broke anyway. As soon as she heard that her crush, her inspiration, her savior had died, it crushed her poor little heart that had already been abused over her short lifetime. She retreated to her room at the Hyuuga compound and wouldn't come out. All three of them tried. Kiba even sent Akamaru alone. And while she stroked the soft white fur, she didn't smile and she didn't say a word. She would hardly eat. Even after being given all kinds of ultimatums by her father, Hiashi, she could not be persuaded to move. It went on for months. The hokage was forced to put the girl on medical leave...she was even placed on suicide watch...and the team was relegated to D-ranked missions.

For a time Haruno Sakura, the last member of the now defunct Team 7, worked with them. It wasn't the same though. The two males of her team had no respect for the girl, especially since she was considered the biggest Uchiha Sasuke fangirl, along with the fact that she didn't have much to contribute to the team. And once she trained with them, it was made even more obvious that the girl had no right being a shinobi, at least not yet. Her skills were sadly lacking. Kurenai wasn't sure whether to blame Kakashi for neglecting her training or to blame Sakura herself for spending more time beautifying herself for a boy than dedicating herself to training. If there was anything Kurenai hated, it was females who gave kunoichi a bad name. Anyhow, that made things even more difficult for the Hinata-less team.

Ironically, it took Neji to finally snap the indigo-haired girl out of it. And to think, it only took a few words to do it.

_'Naruto wouldn't want you to continue to mourn him like this. He would want you to move on and be determined to do your best.'_

And then he left. The very next day she was at their normal training grounds waiting for them. Sure, she was not the same. She would probably never be that same shy innocent girl again. But at least she was trying to live.

* * *

Classes ended at the academy and the children scurried for the outdoors. Except one. Konohamaru was staring out of the window, not even noticing that the rest of his class was gone. Iruka looked up and noticed the young boy and sighed. He had taken the death of Naruto quite hard. Naruto had been almost a big brother to him and gave him his own identity that wasn't the 'Honorable Grandson'. Couple that with the death of his grandfather and the boy was a wreck for a while. Fortunately, children tend to bounce back as time moves on. And the same was true of Konohamaru. Slowly, but surely, he had gotten better and he was back to being the friendly boy from before. Although, over the last few years, he had become much quieter. He was no longer the boisterous troublemaker like his blonde mentor. There was now a seriousness about him that wasn't there previously. And this was one of those moments where he could tell the youngster was thinking about something serious.

Iruka sat down next to him and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"Are you okay Konohamaru?"

The boy turned his head to look at his teacher. Was he okay? Maybe yesterday he was. Today, he wasn't. He wasn't sure what he was. Maybe it was the rain getting him down. It always made him think of Naruto. It rained just like this the day of his memorial service.

"I-I don't know."

Iruka nodded. "Why don't we talk about it over ramen." Konohamaru gave Iruka a slight smile and a nod, gathered up his things and followed Iruka out of the room.

Iruka felt a bit of deja vu as he walked to Ichiraku's with the young Saratobi. Instead of seeing a mischievous dark haired boy with a scarf longer than his body, he saw a mischievous spiky blonde haired boy in a garish orange jumpsuit walking with his hands behind his head with an interminable grin. He shook himself out of the vision and sighed. He missed Naruto so much. He was like a son to him. He had been devastated when he learned what had happened. And for a time he was so angry.

He was angry at the hokage for sending such young boys on a mission of such magnitude.

He was angry at Sasuke for killing his own teammate and friend.

He was angry at Kakashi for giving the Uchiha partial treatment and then giving him such a dangerous weapon to use against a fellow shinobi.

It took a lot of talking and thinking to finally let the anger and resentment go. However, if he was honest with himself, he hadn't really moved on. He didn't know if he ever would, really. He felt a hole in his heart whenever he ate a bowl of ramen, whenever he saw a member of the Rookie 9, whenever he looked at the seat in his class where Naruto sat. Sometimes he could smile when he thought of the antics of his favorite prankster. But most of the time, he felt a deep sadness...a feeling that the world had lost something very important.

* * *

Sakura walked aimlessly through the village. She passed by the Yamanaka home and was told that Ino was gone on an A-rank mission. With a sigh, she looked around at the bustling market and then turned toward the training grounds. She felt like crying, but she refused to do it in front of anyone and so she kept walking with her head down.

She looked up and saw ahead of her a very familiar training field. The posts were a few yards in front of her. With a quiet sob she walked forward and sat against the one she'd previously leaned against when she was fresh out of the academy. Next to her, tied to the post would have been the dobe of the class, Uzumaki Naruto. Next to him would have been the love of her life, Uchiha Sasuke.

Kakashi would have been in front of them lecturing on the meaning of the bell test that they'd failed. He told her why she failed...of how she ignored her teammate who wanted to help and followed Sasuke around.

She was so stupid.

She never learned. She kept following the Uchiha around like a lapdog hoping to get a crumb of affection from him. She continuously ignored Naruto or berated him for his stupidity. And every day after training she would ask Sasuke out, he would say no, and she would go home already dreaming about how she could get him to talk to her the next day.

It was all she had cared about...her entire life revolved around Sasuke. She didn't care about becoming a ninja. It was more about wanting to become a ninja in order get Sasuke to notice her. All of her dreams revolved around marrying Sasuke. So she prettied herself up, tried to look good for the boy and could have cared less about training hard.

And what did she get?

Not Sasuke. He was gone. And Naruto? He was gone forever.

Team 7 was also gone. And Kakashi-sensei pushed her off onto someone else.

Why was she always the one left behind?

Even Ino-pig was stronger than her now. She couldn't help but be envious of the fact that her team was on an A-ranked mission while at this moment, she was stuck doing more D-ranks. Since everyone already had three men teams, she had to wait for the next group of new graduates to test before she could join another team. One whole year she had to wait. Sure, she worked with Team 8 some of that time. But she knew she would never mesh with that group. They were a completely different match up, one made for reconnaissance. She really had nothing much to contribute to the group besides her brains. And once Hinata returned to the group, there was no place for her. So she was, once again, alone until graduation. Fortunately, those who passed was an even number so there was an extra spot.

Her teammates were males. One was a Hyuuga, the other was a boy from a small clan, Takahashi Hideki. It didn't take much to figure out where she ranked in the team. In Team 7, Sasuke was the strongest, she was the smartest, and Naruto was the dead last. In an ironic twist of fate, Hideki was the strongest, Hyuuga Kenji was the smartest. She was the weakest of the group this time. They both assumed she had to be weak since she was put with the newest graduates even though she had already been a genin.

How humiliating.

Why was she so weak?

Their sensei was nothing like Kakashi-sensei. He wasn't late, he wasn't perverted, he worked them hard and wouldn't let them slack off.

But she missed him...she missed her team...she missed Team 7. In her mind, she would never consider Team 11 her team.

She buried her head in her arms and cried for everything she had lost.

* * *

A white haired man rested in the hot water at a local bathhouse. A few feet away from him sat another man with brown hair and brown eyes. A beautiful woman opened the sliding door and walked in with a basket. She kneeled on a pillow at the edge of the bath, close to the first man. As she leaned forward, the red and gold robe she wore opened slightly at the bust, showing more of her cleavage. It was enough to make the man giggle and leer at the sight from the corner of his eye.

"Is everything to your liking? Is there anything else you require?" She asked.

Jiraiya, the toad sannin and famous writer, grinned. "Yes, everything is fine. However, I would love it if you washed my back for me." The woman smiled and did as he asked, washed his back and neck and left him with some sake and fruit. Once she had moved away toward more of her customers, he glanced at the other man. The grin was now replaced with dead seriousness.

"So you have news for me?"

"Yes. They are moving forward with plans. I already heard from someone in Kumo that their's was captured by them."

"Hmm..."

"I assume that three or four will be next."

Jiraiya nodded and gave a two finger salute as the man left the bath behind. He sighed and ate some fruit before drinking down some more sake. The news was very unsettling. Akatsuki was moving ahead with their plans even without the Kyuubi. Something was wrong. From everything he'd learned, it was assumed that whatever they were planning with all the bijuu could only be completed by having all nine of the beasts. What could they possibly do without the most powerful one?

Yes...something was very wrong. He was missing a vital piece of information. And the one thought that briefly floated through his head scared him.

He shook his head of his wayward thoughts. There was no way...

Talk about wishful thinking.

Stupid brat, dying on him. He was as bad as his old man. They were both reckless.

He missed both of them. They were quite a bit alike. Both were pranksters at heart and they had hearts of gold. Minato may have been a bit more serious at times, but Naruto was definitely just as determined. Unfortunately, he was also louder. And annoying as hell. And let's not forget dense. The gaki never stopped bugging him to train him. The Stupid kid kept pulling him away from his...ahem...studies. And how dare he call him Ero-sennin! There was nothing wrong with being a pervert! He'd made a great living out of it. Annoying little brat! But still, it was probably the closest he'd get to having a grandson. Minato was practically a son to him after all. And he did agree to be Naruto's godfather, which was the only reason he was willing to train the kid after he had promised never to train anyone else.

With a chuckle he got out of the water and wrapped a towel around his waist. He wasn't sure at the time what to expect from the loudmouthed blonde, but he'd been shocked that the kid learned as quickly as he did. Sure it was more through true grit and determination than actual skill, but did that really matter in the long run? Uzumaki Naruto had definitely been one of a kind.

He dressed and headed out on the road again. He had more investigating to do.

--

--

**a/n:** So, I've got all kinds of explaining to do, I know. I'm sure everyone's like WTH? You killed Gaara! Yeah well, think about it this way. Naruto changed so many people's lives. Imagine if he "died" at 12. Think of all the things that would've changed. There was no Team 7 to go on the mission to save Gaara. There was no Naruto inspirational speech to cause Chiyo to do the jutsu that saved Gaara's life. There was no Naruto around to inspire Hinata or be a big brother to Konohamaru. There was no Naruto around to make promises to Sakura or to inspire her to get stronger to help bring back Sasuke. So, she'd never be inspired to go to Tsunade and ask for training. Wow, I just used inspired a lot in three sentences. XD He had the ability to make people believe and push them to do more. Tsunade's belief in Naruto was what led her to come back. Now that he's gone, how much does she really want to stay? And just for the record, there was no Team 7 that wanted to bring back Sasuke, so there was no mission to Orochimaru's hideout. Therefore Sasuke wouldn't know Naruto was dead unless it was told to him by Orochimaru or Kabuto. Oh and one last one, based on the last chapter...without a Team 7, Sai never joined the team and never learned about emotions. He's just another member of Root.

Oh yes, and if you're a bit confused by Kakashi, remember that in Chapter 1 he had his memories wiped. Now...don't ya just love my destruction of the usual Naruto-verse? *dodges tomatoes and weaponry*

Anyways...what do you think Jiraiya was thinking before he dismissed it hmm? Thanks for reading! Reviews are not required, but obviously I'd love to read them. :)


	5. Ascension of Evil

**a/n:** Well crap, I've succeeded in making everyone depressed with the last chapter. Well, at least all of you understand why I did what I did. Oh and thanks for your reviews! It lets me know that I'm going the right direction with this fic. Well, just because I love you all so much, I've decided to give you a little bit of something to smile about in this chapter. I didn't originally plan it that way, but thank my muse for not making this chapter completely gloom an doom. Enjoy!

**Summary:** Immediately after the failed retrieve Sasuke mission, Naruto is put in solitary confinement thanks to a council vote that neither sannin can prevent. The day he turns 16, Danzou makes a deal with Akatsuki for the good of Konoha. It sets in motion a chain of events that will bring three deadly ninja together and change the shinobi world.

**Warnings:** ItaNaru pairing. Yep. You're still wondering how the heck I'm going to pull that off, aren't you? XD It'll be a looooooong time before you see it though, even if they'll interact quite a bit in the entire story. Also, **SPOILERS**...lots and lots of spoilers throughout the story. Well, I guess I should also warn you (although I hope you've already figured it out after the last chapter) that I am turning the normal Naruto world upside down and round and round. So don't be surprised at some of the characters that may or may not be still around. XD

**Disclaimer:** I would love to own Naruto Sasuke and Itachi, but I don't.

**The Sun, The Moon and The Sea**

**Chapter 5 – Ascension of Evil  
**

--

_Amaterasu's disappearance deprived the world of light and life. Evil spirits came out of their hiding places, plunging heaven and earth into darkness and chaos. The other gods used everything in their power to lure her out of the cave._

--

Itachi, armed with a cup of broth and a bottle of water, could feel Kisame's restlessness even before he reached the cell. Kisame glared at him as soon as he saw him.

"This is the most boring piece of crap job I've ever had to do. I'm a ninja! I should be fighting! Not babysitting brats that won't even provide decent entertainment."

"Go then. Leader wants to see you anyway."

The mist nin didn't have to be told twice. Without delay, Kisame was gone. Itachi turned to the cell's occupant and stared for a moment at the mess of a blonde. Kisame had probably been hoping for Naruto to put up a fight, to be loud and obnoxious like the first time they'd met. He flicked a black strand out of his face, wanting to sigh at the situation. The teen's presence was going to complicate things. He was sure of it.

Unlocking the cell and closing it behind him, he sat in the chair next to the unresponsive boy. He could tell, though, that Naruto wasn't sleeping. He was awake, but he'd learned how to shut himself off from everyone. He knew the signs…he'd done it enough himself as a youngster. Scary that Naruto had learned to do that so easily. How much did he have to deal with to finally want to shut down like he has? No wonder Kisame couldn't wait to get away. The shark man needed something to keep him busy and a listless Naruto wouldn't be able to do the job.

"Naruto-kun...get up." He said cooly. It wasn't a prompting, it was a command.

Naruto had distantly heard Itachi and Kisame's short conversation and he even heard Itachi come in. However, his mind was in its own world of silence and he was not inclined to break it. He had no desire to face the outside world for it would only be a reminder of how little he had to look forward to. How strange…he was on the brink of death and couldn't put up the fight to care. In fact, he welcomed it.

"I'm not asking Naruto-kun."

Itachi's impassive voice breached Naruto's silent world a second time. How Itachi's voice could be so soft and yet so strong, Naruto had no clue. The threat wasn't there, but it was close to it. And he really had no desire to make Itachi angry for some reason. It didn't make much sense to him considering he wasn't supposed to care, but so be it. So with some bit of effort, Naruto opened his eyes to this reality and slightly turned his head toward Itachi.

"Sit up."

Ok, now he was going too far. He'd opened his eyes to humor the man. How the hell was he supposed to sit up? He had no energy as it was.

Itachi watched the blonde. He could tell the commands were irritating him. In fact…was that a glare? Well, a slight one. It wasn't even close to powerful enough to affect him. He could also see the question in his eyes. 'Why should I?'

"Because I have broth for you, but you won't get any of it until you sit up. I'm not allowing you choke to death because you're lying on the slab of concrete like it's your death bed."

Naruto rolled his eyes at that and opened his mouth to retort before he remembered that he was attempting not to talk to any of Akatsuki. "You-" He shut his mouth and turned away. What was it about the men from that damned Uchiha clan that pissed him off beyond reason?

Itachi knew what he was doing. He watched him enough three years ago to know that if he baited the blonde long enough, he'd respond out of anger. It was exactly what he wanted, for anger tended to make one responsive. He gave Naruto a slight smirk of superiority. "I…?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. If he had a strong enough voice, he probably would have growled. "You just want the Kyuubi." He whispered.

"Your point?" Itachi asked with a raised brow. He watched Naruto argue with himself. The boy's eyes really were windows to his soul. He could see everything the Kyuubi holder was thinking. He had a feeling the younger male's mind was full of angry cursing right now. Finally, straining his weak muscles to do so, Naruto struggled his way into a sitting position. Then he glared in challenge at Itachi as if daring him to say anything about him. Instead Itachi, blank faced and all, passed him the cup of broth with the straw. Naruto's hands shook slightly but he held the cup in both hands, looking at him strangely at the lack of actual food.

"You think you could keep real food down when you haven't eaten much of it in a long time?"

With just a hint of a pout, Naruto sucked on the straw and almost smiled as the warm liquid soothed his parched throat and seemed to heat him from the inside out.

Itachi silently watched. While he waited for him to finish, he thought of the future. He had such a foolproof plan in place for himself. He'd learned very well how to play the role of S-class criminal. Unfortunately, he would soon have to finish what he'd started so many years ago. Sasuke was growing stronger. Somewhere deep inside himself, he felt pride at his little brother for growing strong even though it was at the expense of a healthy relationship with him.

_"Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way. Run, run and cling to life. And one day, when you have the same eyes I do, come before me."_

He knew he'd burned his bridges as soon as he uttered those damning words. He had hoped to spur Sasuke on to be strong. So when the time came and Sasuke was ready, he would come before him and kill him, becoming the hero he planned the younger Uchiha to be. He had not expected him to foolishly run to Orochimaru to gain that power. Now that Orochimaru was out of the way, though, he knew his time was growing short. Glancing over at the oblivious blonde, who was still slowly drinking broth, he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. The fact that Naruto was here was going to make his original plan more difficult to carry out. He'd planned on being able to move about and continue to search for the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, while in actuality, preparing to meet his brother. Instead, he was here at the base.

He would have to alter his plans.

* * *

The man known as Tobi sat in his small room leaning against the stone wall. Except within these four walls, he didn't have to play the game or play the goof.... Here, he could be himself, listen to silence, ponder over the important matters. Tobi had shed his orange mask, revealing his true face which would shock all of the shinobi nations if they saw it. The guise was an easy one to play, though it did become tiring after a while. It took a lot of energy to play such a hyperactive individual.

He hadn't planned on becoming a visible member of Akatsuki so soon. Things, though, were coming together much easier than he had planned. That was the reason he came up with the playful disguise of Tobi and annoyed his way into Akatsuki. It wasn't like Pein would refuse him in the end anyway.

He had to admit that his Tobi persona was fun to play. He liked annoying Deidara and Sasori with his inanity. He enjoyed working with Hidan to make Kakuzu angry. And as an added bonus, he loved trying to see if he could rattle his younger relative. It was quite a challenge since Itachi had perfected the unaffected blank expression. There were moments, though very few and far between, that he could see a chink in the stone armor and he made it a point to assure the youngster that he knew it.

He thought it would be more troublesome to gather the bijuu, especially Konoha's. He had always figured that the council and hokage would never give up the boy so easily. Also, from what he knew of the vessel, he was a very determined child, as well as a powerhouse (for obvious reasons), though quite rough around the edges when it came to actual talent. He didn't think the young blonde would allow himself to be broken without a fight. Danzou though, had suprisingly - or maybe not so surprisingly - proven to be quite an invaluable asset. Not only had he caged the jinchuuriki, he'd found a way to make the village believe him dead, and then somehow in three years had broken the boys well known spirit. It wasn't difficult to figure out that the man would do anything to gain control of the leaf village and be its chosen protector. But he hadn't expected Danzou to bargain the boy off for some flimsy promise of protection. The masked man chuckled.

Danzou was a genius and yet a fool.

Did he really think he could bargain with a group as powerful as Akatsuki? Did he really believe that he would not set his eyes on Konoha as one of his conquests?

And then there was Itachi...

While he did not presume to understand everything that went on in Itachi's head, he knew that everything revolved around his younger brother. As long as Itachi was alive, he was bound by his promise as an Uchiha to leave Konoha alone. But the day he died, and he was sure it would happen - he'd heard enough about the youngest Uchiha to know he had a one track mind when it came to killing Itachi - he would no longer be bound by that stupid promise.

The power of the bijuu would serve its purpose. The beasts' powerful chakra would make him stronger than anyone. And then he would accomplish his main goal. Soon enough, Konoha would be leveled, never to rise again. And if he had his way, little Uchiha Sasuke would help him.

"Tobi! Get your annoying ass out here. Leader wants to see you." Deidara yelled and knocked at the door.

He rolled his eyes and replaced the mask on his face. "OOH Leader wants to see me? Maybe Tobi will finally get a mission!"

"Hurry up idiot!"

"Coming Deidara-sempai!"

* * *

Pein stood in the center of the large sealing room. It was one of the few times he actually stepped a foot into the Akatsuki hideout. Normally he limited his association with the group, only projected himself when the group needed to meet. Konan quietly stood in the shadows behind him. She was always the quiet one, waiting for whatever orders Pein sent her way.

The sound of bickering announced their other guests.

Deidara, Tobi, Sasori, Kisame, Hidan and Kakuzu walked in and stood before their leader. Deidara glared at Tobi who couldn't stand still. When he could take the fidgeting no more, he elbowed him.

"Ow, that hurt Deidara-sempai!"

"Shut up Tobi!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Kakuzu growled at both of the demonstrative men.

"I have a mission for all of you." Pein stated quietly, but authoritatively enough to bring everyone back to attention. "Sasori, you and Deidara will capture the three tails. Kisame, you and Tobi will capture the four tails. Hidan and Kakuzu will attain the eight tails. I expect you back in two weeks."

All of them nodded.

"Dismissed." The room emptied quickly, although Tobi left last, looking back at the other man. A staring contest ensued between Tobi and Pein. A flash of red appeared behind the hole in the mask briefly before Tobi turned away and disappeared into the dark corridor.

The moment they were gone, Konan stepped out of the shadows with a look of concern on her face.

"You are worried." Pein stated without looking at Konan.

"Yes."

"Why? Do you doubt me?"

"Of course not. You are a god. You are invincible. But he does not share your purpose."

"No...he does not. I am a god of peace. He lives for destruction. But, for now, he is a necessity."

"But what will happen once all the beasts have been attained? He wants the power for himself."

"I will deal with him when the time comes."

* * *

It was late at night and most of the village of Konoha were tucked in their beds. The few that weren't were fulfilling their ninja duties.

And in one locked room, the midnight oil was being burned as three people met to discuss plans that would change Konoha forever. In the council chambers sat three people: Danzou, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu. Danzou stood before the seated council of elders and waited to begin his testimony.

"Why have you summoned us to this late night meeting? And why isn't Tsunade present?" Homura asked.

"Ah…that is exactly the reason why I have called you both." Koharu turned her head to look at Homura. He nodded and both turned back to the highly regarded politician. Homura motioned for Danzou to continue.

"I am concerned about the Godaime. Tsunade, I believe, is no longer able to competently fulfill her role as the Godaime Hokage. No one speaks of it aloud, but all of us know that, although a respected sannin, she disgraces the village by her gambling and drinking habits."

"While that may be true, that is a personal problem and it has nothing to do with how she performs her duties. As long as she fulfills her obligations as hokage, there is nothing for you to be concerned about." Koharu stated matter of factly. Danzou nodded in response. He knew it would take more than just his personal concerns to sway them. He folded both of his hands over the top of his walking stick as he took a seat.

"Alright then, would you say that she performs her duties as she should? When is the last time she's been present on time or at all for a council meeting? Or a meeting with clan heads? Can you truly say that she's made the right decisions since she took over?"

"Whether she's made the right decisions or not is a matter of opinion. I can say that there are times when I disagree with how she proceeds. However, so far it's worked out." Koharu replied.

"However, you are correct in that lately she has shown little regard for important meetings with the council and the clan heads. And those gatherings are essential to avoid any seeds of dissension that might be planted and grow to become a major problem." Homura added. Danzou knew exactly what Homura was referring to and he made a show of sighing heavily, faking concern at the idea of another coup d'état or massacre.

"Yes, we would hate to see another clan in such a state. We need the clans to remain united for the purpose of protecting the village. I think it is imperative that the leader of the village not neglect these meetings. There is also another problem that needs to be addressed."

Koharu raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"The Godaime's actions so far have been based on her emotions instead of what is best for the village. She allows her close relationships with certain people to affect the decisions she makes."

"Specifically, you mean the Kyuubi vessel? Sometimes relationships like that are essential. Without it, she would never have come back and taken over as hokage. And yes, sometimes her decision making ability is hampered by her emotions. However, as long as the outcome goes Konoha's way and protects the village, then I don't see the problem. That is why Homura and I act as her advisors. To make sure she does not allow her emotions to get the best of her." Koharu stated.

Danzou nodded. He didn't show it but inwardly he was smirking. He knew exactly how to gain the upper hand and sway them in his direction. Flattery will get one everywhere. "True. And your direction has been invaluable. Without your advice over the years, I doubt this village would have been as strong. Though now we are faced with a difficult problem. Due to Tsunade's close relationship with the now deceased Kyuubi vessel, since that time she has shown little desire to do her duties. She cannot effectively protect the village in her state. The more time that has gone by since the boy's death, the more she drowns her sorrow in sake bottles. We are fortunate that no other village has bothered to attack us since Orochimaru's last assault three years ago. Can you really continue to sit by and watch and wait and see if she gets any better? Can you really say that the village is still safe under her leadership?"

Homura sternly stared at the man in front of him. He and Koharu had been around the political scene too long to think that Danzou did not have some kind of underlying motive. "You are leading up to something. Get to it."

"Alright then. It is time for a change. Things cannot continue as they are now. The villagers are becoming more restless with everything they hear about Akatsuki, Suna's civil strife, and the other shinobi nations surrounding us, much of whom are our enemies. Even they can see that Konoha is in a state of decline and are worried about what would happen if the village was to be attacked again. Suna's treaty has been annulled because of the rebellion. If anyone were to attack right now, the village would be extremely vulnerable."

Koharu narrowed her eyes. "What would you have us do Danzou? Force Tsunade out of her position?"

"If that is what's needed to ensure the safety of Konoha. As you know, to me, there is nothing more important than that."

"Hmm..." Koharu folded her hands on top of the desk mulling over the possibilities before returning her attention to the well-respected man in front of her. "You know that would take a council and clan vote."

"Yes."

"And even if they voted that way, there's the question of who could replace her. Jiraiya refuses to come back unless it's an emergency. Besides, his spy network is invaluable and he is in a better position to help us there. Beyond him, who else would be qualified?"

"I believe that either of you would make excellent leaders."

Koharu chuckled. "I have no desire to be Hokage. I am sure Homura would say the same." Homura nodded. Danzou would have smirked if he could. He now had the two exactly where he wanted them. He already knew that neither elder had the desire or the strength to take on the role of Hokage. Koharu continued. "However, I believe that you, at one time, was considered for the position. If there is no one else, would you be willing to lead the village?"

"You know I would humbly do whatever is necessary if the need arose."

Both elders sat back n their chairs with their hands folded mulling over their current dilemma. Homura finally spoke for the both of them. "You have given us much to think about. Leave us so that we may discuss this. Let us reconvene tomorrow night at the same time and we will give you our answer." Danzou inclined his head respectfully.

"As you wish." He turned and with a devious smile on his face that neither elder could see, he slowly left the chambers.

* * *

The next morning, all was quiet as Itachi made his way through the mostly abandoned hideout. The only Akatsuki members still around were he and Zetsu, who tended to roam around watching the others on missions. Pein and Konan very seldom spent any length of time at the hideout. They were usually above ground taking care of business in Amegakure. So for all intents and purposes, Itachi was alone. Which was a good thing.

He had much to do.

Itachi spent most of last night thinking. If he stuck to the plan, he'd meet Sasuke, they'd fight, and in the end he'd die and his otouto would be considered a hero.

But Naruto...the Kyuubi would be extracted...Naruto would die. And then what?

As much as he would like to ignore the consequences, he couldn't. Originally, his plans would most likely have only affected Sasuke, maybe Konoha. However, his choices now would affect not just Konoha, or even fire country, but the whole world. Could he really live with or die with the choice he made?

One of the few times he was able to meet with Jiraiya, the sannin had told him some things about the toads and about his students - one being the man who became the Yondaime Hokage, the other being a young boy who became the figurehead of Akatsuki...A man who thought of himself as a god. Jiraiya mentioned a child of prophecy, who he had originally thought to be the younger Pein, but now seemed to think it was someone else. A blonde boy by the name of Naruto.

If Naruto was this child of prophecy - and Itachi was almost sure of it - there was no way he could let him die.

He sighed softly. He knew Naruto's presence was going to complicate things.

--

Naruto was actually awake and alert when Itachi showed up. He said nothing though as he watched the Uchiha open the cell door and close it behind him. He noticed, though, that this time there was no broth or water with him. He wondered why.

"Good morning Naruto-kun." Itachi moved closer until he was standing over the reclining vessel. "Sit up. We're about to take a trip."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. Trip? Where? He cleared his throat as he slowly sat up.

"Where?" He asked with a scratchy voice.

"Hn." Naruto sighed in resignation. Typical. He knew that meant he would get no more out of the silent Uchiha. Instead he took the hand that appeared in front of his face. Then he watched as Itachi made hand signs. The two disappeared from sight and reappeared in what seemed to be a bedroom. Naruto silently took in the new surroundings. A single bed took up one corner of the room. It was covered with a black quilt which Itachi sat him on. Next to the bed was a wood nightstand with two drawers. A lamp on top of it was the only illumination. Across from the bed was a set of drawers and a small mirror. On the other side of the room was a chair and a writing desk. Finally his eyes landed back on the man who brought him here.

"Where are we?"

"My room." Itachi glanced at him, then turned away and walked toward a doorway. He looked back and blue eyes met dark ones. Naruto was somewhat surprised to see Itachi's eyes sans sharingan. He thought back to all the times he'd seen the rebel Uchiha. Each time, his eyes were adorned with the famed doujutsu. But now that he thought about it, each time in his cell, his eyes had been normal. "Come."

Naruto stared blankly. Itachi sighed and tried again.

"You can walk, can't you?" Naruto blinked as the words registered and he nodded slowly moving into a shaky standing position making sure to hold onto the wall for leverage. He followed Itachi and found the doorway led to the bathroom. He saw the tub was full of water and that's when it hit him as to what Itachi had planned. "Take off what's left of those rags." Itachi continued.

Another day and time, Naruto might have blushed at the idea of baring himself to anyone, let alone Uchiha Itachi, but at this point, the idea of a hot bath - even in enemy territory - was too good not to take advantage of. Besides, he really doubted the Uchiha would even be embarrassed or care about his nudity. He really didn't think he'd cared anymore about his filthy state until he saw how inviting the hot water looked compared to the grimy feel of his skin. Within seconds, the scraps that had such a hard time even covering his most private parts were on the floor. Itachi divested himself of his own clothing and noticed that Naruto hardly batted an eye. He saw it as a testament to how much the blonde hand changed. Naruto was on the verge of becoming as emotionless as he was and Itachi wasn't sure how he felt about that.

The idea of an emotionless Naruto didn't sit right with him.

He held out his hand for the younger leaf nin to take. Naruto gripped his fingers and Itachi pulled him forward. Naruto was now so light, it was almost scary. His bones protruded from his skin - skin that beneath the dirt was almost as translucent as his younger brother's - now that he had no muscle mass. And once the younger male was standing in the tub, Itachi actually saw the full damage that Danzou had inflicted. With the locked chakra restraints that were impossible to ignore, Kyuubi could not heal the boy. So, old scars as well as some fading bruises, littered his back, chest, arms, and legs. For just a brief moment, his sharingan flared.

Naruto stood still, waiting for Itachi, figuring he would get in behind him. Except, when he looked over at the tall brunette, he could see him examining every inch of his body and immediately he flushed, mostly from shame. He looked away guiltily. He knew the numerous scars were ugly. Danzou had made sure that some of them would be large and very visible. With Kyuubi, there wouldn't have been anything to show for it. The fox would have made them disappear. Unfortunately, there was no fox chakra to help him and he had to deal with the numerous scars that marred his body. However, standing in front of an Uchiha like this was a blow to his pride. From somewhere deep inside his soul, he felt anger at himself, thinking he hadn't put up enough of a fight over the last few years, thinking that Itachi would mock him for his weakness.

Instead there was silence, except for the sound of water being displaced and shifted as Itachi moved in behind him and sat down in the water. He pulled Naruto down in between his legs and it was at that moment that Naruto's lost pride made a momentary comeback...even if it was with a weakened voice.

"Hey! I can take my own bath you know."

"Hn...doubtful. You'd never be able to scrub hard enough." Itachi replied matter-of-factly.

Naruto grumbled a bit, but knew Itachi was right. He was tired enough just walking from the bed to the bathroom. He'd probably drown from not being able to keep himself upright. Thus, he gave in and nodded to Itachi. He scrubbed so hard, Naruto just knew his skin would be bright red. But he couldn't complain. He was going to be clean for the first time in ages. Itachi had to add more water twice just to get rid of the grime. Lastly, he pulled Naruto up and turned on the shower.

"Close your eyes."

"Why?"

Naruto got his answer when fingers were suddenly in his hair and he smelled some sort of fruity shampoo. Itachi's long fingers going through his scalp was like heaven. The tension in his weakened frame melted away and he couldn't stop the sigh of complete satisfaction from leaving his lips. Itachi heard it and smirked slightly, continuing the scalp massage and then pulled the thick lather down the long dirty locks. It took a few rinses and rewashes, but now the blonde's hair shined brilliantly. His eyes narrowed at the length. He hoped Naruto wouldn't mind if he cut it, not that it would matter. He was going to cut it whether the blonde liked it or not.

Helping Naruto out of the tub, Itachi grabbed two towels, wrapping one around himself and rubbing Naruto down with the other. Naruto hardly noticed. He was too busy looking in the mirror. And he didn't like what he saw. There were dark circles under his dull and lifeless eyes. He was nothing but skin and bones and silvery scars crisscrossed in random places. He shivered at the memories of how he received some of them. His hair was so long that if someone didn't know any better they'd swear he was a girl. And worst of all, he couldn't miss the bindings that kept him enslaved...those hated chakra restraints that had been a part of him since the moment he woke up tied down to a bed so long ago.

Itachi pulled a much cleaner Naruto out of the bathroom. His legs shook from disuse, even though most of his weight was on his companion. The moment Itachi had him in front of a chair, he collapsed into it. He watched blankly while Itachi moved around his bedroom grabbing random things and getting dressed. Suddenly, there was a ball of black in his face and he flinched.

"Put these on." Naruto stared at the clothes for a moment before reaching out to grab them. Without a word, he pulled on the black t-shirt and placed his feet in the boxers and black shinobi pants. Then he stood in order to pull up the pants, but he wavered and swayed forward. Raising his arms, bracing for impact with the floor that was quickly rising toward him, he was startled to find himself stopped by another set of arms. Itachi shifted his arms and stabilized him and then ended up doing the rest of the work for him. Naruto flushed again and looked away sighing in defeat. He was so weak. And he hated the idea of appearing weak in front of an Uchiha. He could almost hear Sasuke's voice in his head calling him weak and a dead last.

Itachi watched the younger male. He could practically read his thoughts through his eyes and posture.

"Fall seven times, stand up eight."***** He whispered. It was just loud enough for Naruto to hear it and he looked up, his eyes swirling with shock and slight confusion at the spur-of-the-moment motivation. Why was he saying this? What was Itachi trying to say? Did Itachi want him to fight?

Itachi saw the understanding filter through the dull blue eyes and gave him a nod. Then he smirked.

--

--

*****_Japanese Proverb_

**a/n:** Thanks for reading! See? Not completely depressing right? Anyways, please review...I love to know what you're thinking - good or bad. It really does help. And yes, eventually I will write about exactly what Danzou did to Naruto. I love writing Itachi. He's so complicated with his emotionless persona and all. I hope you like what I've come up with so far. I see him as someone who calculates every possibility in a certain situation - almost like Shikamaru, but without the hand positions. ;)

Now, I'm sure many of you are probably wondering when the heck I'm going to update my other stories since I haven't done so in a while. _ Yeah, well, my muse is stuck on this story for the moment. I'm trying to divert it to my other stories, but my darn muse won't cooperate as of yet. I'm working on it though...promise. XD Alright, well, that's it! See you next time, yeah? :)


	6. Plans Made, Plans Crumble

**a/n:** Over 200 reviews already! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for each and every one of them. I'm glad you enjoyed the bit of ItaNaru, although there's really nothing happening romantically between them yet. It won't happen for quite a while. But I just wanted to show that Naruto is progressing a little bit and Itachi is pushing him to do so. Why? You'll find out soon enough.

There was one anonymous reviewer who had some concerns about where I was going with Danzou. I think a few others mentioned it as well. Well, all I can say is not to worry. When have I ever gone with the easy route eh? ;) You'll see what I mean when you read this chapter and beyond. Hopefully all of you were a bit clued in by the part when Homura gave Danzou a look and basically told him he had an underlying reason for bringing the accusations and to get to the point. I believe the council can't possibly be so dumb as to take Danzou at face value. Also thanks to Mr. or Ms. Anon, you helped me settle something in my head with regards to the clan heads. I won't say more, you'll just have to wait and see how the story moves along. As for Kakashi, in this little almost AU world in my head, he's as emotionally screwed up as Tsunade. He's just hiding it better. Yes, he's another candidate for hokage, and I'm sure he'll be mentioned. The question is, would he take it in his state of mind? We shall see...

Well, I hope you'll all enjoy the new chapter. Finally, I can put it up! I've been holding it hostage the last couple of days until a certain other writer got up a new chapter. Love ya Bea! :D

**Summary:** Immediately after the failed retrieve Sasuke mission, Naruto is put in solitary confinement thanks to a council vote that neither sannin can prevent. The day he turns 16, Danzou makes a deal with Akatsuki for the good of Konoha. It sets in motion a chain of events that will bring three deadly ninja together and change the shinobi world.

**Warnings:** ItaNaru pairing. Yep. You're still wondering how the heck I'm going to pull that off, aren't you? XD It'll be a looooooong time before you see it though, even if they'll interact quite a bit in the entire story. Also, **SPOILERS**...lots and lots of spoilers throughout the story. Well, I guess I should also warn you (although I hope you've already figured it out after the last chapter) that I am turning the normal Naruto world upside down and round and round. So don't be surprised at some of the characters that may or may not be still around. XD

**Disclaimer:** I would love to own Naruto Sasuke and Itachi, but I don't

**The Sun, The Moon and The Sea**

**Chapter 6 – Plans Made, Plans Crumble  
**

--

_Amaterasu sat in the dark cave, her light truly dimmed. She began to feel that it was somehow all her fault. Perhaps she had failed in some important way...Perhaps she lacked the ability to love. But the darkness in the cave was nothing compared to the darkness outside the cave.  
_

--

After spending a day in the abandoned city to rest up and gather supplies, Sasuke, Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo were now speeding through the countryside to find information on Itachi. They had been running for a few hours when Karin suddenly stopped. Sasuke turned and looked at the red head who seemed to be in a stupor.

"What's wrong?"

"We're being followed. And they're gaining ground quickly."

"Let's move faster then." Sasuke turned and sped off with the rest following him trying to put distance between Hebi and their pursuers.

"They're gaining on us." Karin announced. "There are seven of them...and they're strong."

They ran a bit further until they saw a clearing. Sasuke stopped and turned.

"What are you doing Sasuke?! We can't stop."

"We don't have much choice." Sasuke stood alert, ready to fight. "Everyone scatter out. If we have to fight them, we need to be at the advantage."

It wasn't long before sharp projectiles flew through the air, easily dodged by the four. Sasuke's eyes narrowed trying to determine the path. "Come out whoever you are."

Sasuke got his wish when a group of seven nin appeared around them. All of them were in black from head to toe with black masks over their faces. He looked at the headbands and immediately noticed the leaf insignia. He raised a brow. Konoha Black Ops? That was new.

"Uchiha Sasuke. You are a threat to Konoha and we have been ordered to kill you." an emotionless voice announced.

"On who's orders?" He'd been left alone the last three years, why would they change things now?

"Our leader. That is all you need to know."

Leader? So it wasn't the Hokage. They would've just said so. So who leads the black ops? And why would they want him dead? His eyes narrowed. "Why are you after me? I'm no threat to you."

"You betrayed the village and joined it's enemy, Orochimaru. Then you murdered your own teammate. That makes you a threat." _'Wait...what?'_

"What are you talking about? I left him alive. I would have known back then if he was dead."_ 'I would've had those eyes.'_

Nothing more was said as Sasuke was suddenly dodging shuriken being flung in his direction. Three ninja converged on him, the rest feasting their eyes on the rest of his team. Sasuke calmly dodged, not even using the sharingan yet, wanting to see what they would do. He knew they were toying with him for the moment. Why?

And then he knew. Flipping backwards he avoided two hands coming up from the ground. He flashed through some handsigns. "**Housenka no Jutsu.**" Fireballs shot towards his 4 opponents causing them to dodge away. They quickly countered with jutsus of their own. Sasuke revealed his sharingan and copied their moves, sending them right back, making the nin retreat and regroup. He took the chance to glance at his teammates, who were holding their own.

Juugo, having quickly lost control, was currently tossing away one ninja. One of those dodging Sasuke's jutsu made the mistake of getting too close to the out of control giant, who grabbed him and viciously killed him.

Suigetsu, after a hard fought battle, finally slashed through his opponent with his Kubikiri Houcho. Another nin tried to jump him only for Suigetsu to turn to water making the kick go through him. Turning quickly he cleaved the man in two.

Karin was the only one having trouble. She was completely over matched. Fortunately, she was quickly relieved of her opponent when Suigetsu took out the ninja from behind.

Sasuke stared at the two left, pulled out his kusanagi and flashed forward appearing in front of one, who blocked the sweeping strike with a kunai. The second ninja slashed at Sasuke's neck missing by an inch as he leaned backward flipping over his hands sending identical kicks at both of them pushing them back. Landing on his feet he quickly focused his chakra. "Chidori Nagashi." Electricity danced away from his body striking the two ninja paralyzing them instantly.

Suigetsu was closest to one and cut off his head. Sasuke walked up to the other and kneeled before him. "I don't know who sent you. I don't care. But I can't have you going back and telling them anything." He stabbed the nin in the heart and turned away, returning his katana to it's place. Walking over to an out of control Juugo, he glared at him intently, waves of killer intent filling the air. "Calm down Juugo." Juugo shuddered for a moment before returning to his normal state. Sasuke didn't even glance back to see if they would follow. "Let's go." Team Hebi ran off.

What they didn't know was that one observer was left behind...one who had masked his chakra from the very beginning. A masked young man watched the team leave the area. Having no other choice, he quickly drew up two carniverous predators to clean up the area and then he ran off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Itachi moved silently through the hallways and down the stone stairway, a bag held in his hand. He reached his destination and was surprised to see Naruto sitting up and waiting for him. He flashed through some quick hand signs and felt a quick burst of chakra letting him know his barrier was in place. Unlocking the door and entering the cell - he didn't bother locking it back - he sat in the chair across from his charge and pulled the items out of the bag.

"Good morning Naruto-kun." He said while leaning over and pouring the broth in a cup.

Naruto didn't say a word, but he watched Itachi prepare his liquified breakfast with a slight grimace. Itachi saw it and sat up.

"What?"

Naruto slowly looked up into the dark eyes. "It has vegetables in it," he stated without inflection. It took quite a bit of force for Itachi to hold back the chuckle that was ready to bubble forth.

"You won't get stronger living on ramen alone, Naruto-kun. Especially without the help of your tenant." Itachi nodded toward the younger one's stomach and then held out the cup for Naruto to take. With another sour look, Naruto took the cup.

"No straw?"

"You should have more strength today. Drink it straight from the cup." Naruto nodded and did so. Itachi watched the blonde. He looked much healthier already than he'd looked just one day ago. Of course, a good bath does wonders, along with a change of clothing. And then there was the haircut. The unruly blonde locks flowed down to just about his shoulders. It was enough for Naruto to tie it up if he wanted, but he could also leave it loose. In fact, Itachi thought the younger male looked good with the hair framing his face like a golden halo, the longer spikes just slightly hanging over the sky blue eyes. No matter what, Naruto always seemed to look the picture of innocence, even after going through such hardship. He wondered if he would still look like that when he reached the age of 30 or beyond.

Obviously, Naruto's improved appearance was only half the battle. It would take time for Naruto to become the person he was before emotionally...if he was ever the same again.

Naruto finished the broth and vegetables and held out the empty cup for Itachi to take. He stared at the man for a moment before looking down to his lap. He had so many questions in his head after what went on yesterday. "Itachi?"

"Hm?" Itachi placed the empty cup in the bag and handed him a bottle of water.

"Why..." Naruto began tentatively in a quiet voice, only to swallow and start again. "Why are you doing this? Helping me?" There was silence. So much time went by, Naruto wondered if Itachi was ever going to answer or if he would just ignore him.

"Because...you're stronger than this."

Naruto frowned slightly. Trust the S-class nin to be cryptic.

"Stand up." Naruto looked up, confusion in his eyes.

"Huh?"

Itachi raised a brow as if to say 'Do I need to repeat myself?' Naruto cringed and stood up with much effort. It was then that Itachi saw the clothes he'd given Naruto were quite a bit baggy on the small frame. He was sure that, in time, the blonde would fill them out.

"I'll make you a deal Naruto-kun. I'll answer just about any question you have for as long as you can keep walking around your cell." Naruto looked skeptical.

"That's it?" Itachi nodded. Naruto thought about the offer for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

"Ok." Naruto looked down watching as one foot slowly and deliberately stepped in front of the other, slowly making his way around the edge of the cell. It was the fastest he could go without the possibility of his weakened legs buckling. Itachi smirked slightly. He'd maneuvered the Kyuubi vessel exactly where he wanted him. If there was one thing that characterized Naruto, it was his determination. He needed Naruto to walk around, to regain his strength and will. And he knew that if he gave Naruto a reason to work, he'd grasp it with an iron grip.

* * *

Danzou sat in his office looking over some scrolls. He had just received a message from his hunter team that was after the traitorous Uchiha. They were closing in on him. Soon, the last Uchiha would be no more. He'd wanted the entire clan to die in the very beginning. Damn that Itachi for screwing up his plans. This would be the equalizer though. With the older brother having no intention of coming back, the clan would finally be gone from Konoha for good, exactly like he wanted so long ago. He smirked and leaned back in his chair.

At long last, things were going his way. He would very soon realize his destiny. He would become the true leader of the village instead of using his influence to instigate things behind the scenes. Too bad the Sandaime was dead and in the shinigami's stomach. He would've loved to see if the old man would roll over in his grave at the sight of him in the hokage robes.

He glanced up at the knock on his door.

"Danzou-sama, you have a message." The words of the root nin were muted, but easily heard by Danzou.

"Enter."

The door opened and in walked a tall unmasked young man. He walked up to Danzou's desk and kneeled before his leader.

"Rise Takai." The ninja known as Takai rose and passed the small scroll over, his head still bowed in respect and submission as he waited for a reply. Danzou opened the scroll and perused it's contents before a slow smug smirk spread across his face. No one was there to notice and Takai didn't dare to look up from his submissive position. "You may go. Please relay the message that I will meet them at the time they requested."

"Yes Danzou-sama." Takai bowed once more and left the room to relay the message. The moment the door was closed, Danzou chuckled evilly. It was so close, he could practically taste the power. He would have his position. He would accept nothing less. And those old fools on the council were going to hand it to him on a silver platter.

* * *

A few hours had gone by and Naruto was still walking. It was even slower than before, and Itachi could see he was getting close to reaching his limit, but he was still up. Itachi felt like congratulating himself on such an ingenious idea. While it meant an uncomfortable amount of speaking for him - he never was much of a conversationalist, he'd admit it - it was worth it to give Naruto the push forward he needed. So far, he'd told him about the members of Akatsuki, about why they were extracting the bijuu, and why they couldn't extract him yet. Naruto even listened without interrupting, which was very different from the Naruto everyone knew. He wondered if this new thinking-before-speaking version of Naruto would stick.

"So...if this is all about getting the Kyuubi, what difference would it make if I'm weak or not?"

Itachi sighed and stretched out his long legs before beginning an explanation.

"Have you ever really paid attention to your seal?" Naruto scrunched his face distastefully. He usually spent more time wishing he didn't have one considering the abuse he'd endured over the years because of it. Itachi nodded in understanding and went on. "It's a much more complicated piece of art than all of the other jinchuuriki seals. I've seen most of them so far and none of them hold a candle to yours. Of course, the Yondaime was a genius at seals, after all."

Naruto could feel himself weakening. He had so much more he wanted to know though. He couldn't stop yet. His hand slapped against the wall using it as leverage to keep his body up as he kept walking. He felt like his entire body was slowing to a crawl.

"The point is, you're basically an unknown...an anomaly. Leader won't say it aloud, but no one knows for sure if the extraction process will work on you." Naruto's eyes went wide. Itachi continued before Naruto could open his mouth. "The extraction process is brutal. Honestly, in your weakened state, even if the extraction doesn't work, you wouldn't have a chance of surviving it. But, if you build up your strength now, you'd have a chance."

Naruto was so shocked at the whole revelation that he tripped over the edge of his bed and collapsed to the floor, breathing hard. Itachi looked down at the exhausted blonde. With a smirk he yanked Naruto up by the arm and put him into the tiny bed and wrapped him in a blanket. Naruto didn't even try to fight it, that's how tired he was.

"Why do you care?" He asked tiredly. He felt like he was using the last of his energy just to keep his eyes open.

Itachi smirked and Naruto grew worried. "Time's up Naruto-kun. You know the rules." He heard a mumble from the blonde that sound something like 'damn scheming Uchihas,' but he couldn't be certain. "Sleep."

Naruto didn't want to sleep. He wanted answers. Unfortunately, his body wouldn't cooperate with his mind and his eyes drooped more and more with each passing second until they closed completely. A couple of minutes later, he was breathing deeply.

Itachi watched him for one more moment to make sure he was asleep and then stood. With one last look back at the sleeping blonde, Itachi locked the cell behind him and dispelled the privacy jutsu before leaving the lower level behind.

* * *

Team Hebi checked into a hotel at the first town they got to. Karin pointlessly looked over her teammates for any injuries...really she just wanted to ogle a bare-chested Sasuke. Once the sun set, she grudgingly left the men behind to get food. She only consented because Sasuke asked her to go.

Once she was gone, Suigetsu glanced at Sasuke, who was quietly staring at the wall. Well, he was always quiet, so that wasn't unusual. But there was something much more unsettling in his silence. He knew it must have something to do with what that black ops ninja said to him earlier. And since he was never one to keep his mouth shut...

"So now black ops are after you?" Sasuke didn't even glance at the mist nin.

"It doesn't matter."

Suigetsu rolled his eyes knowing Sasuke's tone meant that he didn't want to talk about it. He refused to be swayed though. "I doubt that. And when did you ever murder anyone? Hell, you won't let us kill anyone most of the time."

"They're wrong. Now go away." Suigetsu grinned at the obvious dismissal, ignoring it completely.

"Oh so you didn't kill your teammate?" Sasuke finally looked up at his teammate with a scathing glare.

"Suigetsu..." he growled.

"Just answer the question and I'll leave you alone."

Sasuke sighed. "No, I did not kill my ex-teammate. If he's dead, it wasn't by my hand. I doubt if he's even dead...he's too damn stubborn to die. Besides, I would know if I killed him."

"How's that?"

"I would've had my brother's eyes." Sasuke laid back on the bed and closed his eyes, effectively ending any and all conversation. Suigetsu, seeing he wasn't going to get anymore out of the stoic young man, left the room figuring he'd amuse himself with searching for and bothering Karin.

Juugo sat on the floor, his thoughts lingering over the Uchiha after having been the silent observer to the conversation. He knew there was much more behind the story that Sasuke refused to tell. Why was he so troubled by the news?

Sasuke wanted to growl. Even after he closed his eyes, in his mind's eye, he couldn't help but see his old idiotic, loudmouthed teammate. He wondered what happened to the dobe. It was a bit unnerving actually. He always figured the blonde would spend every minute he could trying to bring him back to Konoha. But in three years he hadn't seen him at all...hadn't even heard anything about him. Could Naruto really be dead? Is that why Naruto never came after him?

This time he did growl. Why should he care! If the idiot was dead, it was his own fault. He had nothing to do with it. And why the hell would he be so concerned about the dobe coming after him? He was just fine without him. He didn't need the added nuisance. With a huff, he turned on his side away from any prying eyes. He settled himself into a comfortable position and blanked out his mind so he could sleep.

* * *

The time finally reached midnight and Danzou closed his book after making a few notations and then locked it in a drawer. He stood and took a deep breath. Then he put on the 'humble servant of Konoha' look that he's perfected over the years and slowly walked out, heading toward the Hokage tower.

When he arrived at the council chamber, it was to find Koharu and Homura already waiting for him inside. He slowly made his way to the front and stood before them silently waiting for the words he's been looking forward to hearing.

"We have come to a decision." Koharu began. Danzou nodded in understanding.

"The council will meet with the clan heads two nights from now to discuss Tsunade's possible ouster, as well as possible replacements." Danzou hid his surprise behind a question.

"Possible replacements?" Both council members nodded.

"I hope you didn't think we'd just hand the position over to you. Obviously, you're well respected by both of us, but that does not mean the clan heads may not have other candidates in mind who are just as qualified for the position as you. We have the responsibility of looking into any and all possible options open to us so that we can make an informed decision. Don't expect this to be a quick process." Homura replied.

Danzou frowned at the implications. He was so certain he'd have the council in the palm of his hand that he didn't bother to figure in the clan heads. The council had the final say anyway. But if the council was going to allow the clans their own say in the proceedings, it could put his appointment in jeopardy. He could not allow that.

"With all due respect, wouldn't it be better to assign a replacement sooner rather than later? Maybe it would even be best to assign a temporary replacement right now. The longer we wait, the more restless the village will become and the more likely one of the surrounding nations will see us as weak and attack.

Koharu narrowed her eyes indignantly at the suggestion. "Are you suggesting that Homura and I don't know how to do our jobs? That we don't understand the perilous position Konoha is in?"

"Of course not. But-"

"You would do well to remain silent and allow us to follow things through as we see fit." Homura interrupted, his voice deadly serious. Danzou angrily clenched his hand around his walking stick as his arguments were thwarted. With as calm a voice as he could muster under the circumstances, he replied to the sitting council members.

"Yes, of course. I am sure you will do what is right and best for the village. I will await a summons from you." He waited for a nod from the two before stiffly turning and walking out of the room.

He didn't see the male and female glance knowingly at each other.

The moment Danzou was away from the Hokage tower and back in his own office sanctuary, he let out his rage with a roar and smashed anything in his way.

* * *

"So, how is our little prisoner holding up?"

Pein's holographic image stood before Itachi. He wanted to glare at the pseudo-leader. His sleep had been rudely interrupted by Konan who Pein sent to the hideout to awaken him. Out of spite, he closed the door on her voicing his need for a shower before meeting with a 'god' and deliberately took his time, finally appearing after almost an hour. Unfortunately, payback was a bitch, for there he was in the sealing room waiting for another hour before Pein's image finally appeared.

Itachi shrugged at the question, giving Pein a vague answer. "About as well as can be expected under the circumstances. Although I did give him a bath and a change of clothing."

"Why would you bother doing something so trivial?"

"Because the rags were about to disintegrate. And the smell was appalling."

For a time, there was an uncomfortable silence. Itachi chose to revel in it. He was not going to be intimidated by someone that was no more a god than he was.

"Research the jinchuuriki's seal. I want the extraction to go smoothly." Pein said bluntly. His final words to the Uchiha.

"Hn." Itachi watched the hologram dissappear, then turned to see Konan leaving without a word. That girl was nothing but Pein's little puppet.

It took another hour before he finally could make it to the kitchen. Zetsu ended up stopping him in the hall, then proceeded to question him as to the reasoning behind bathing, clothing and feeding a prisoner. It took too much time for Itachi to get away from the overgrown venus flytrap who was babbling about torturing and eating his charge.

Now it was lunchtime and Itachi was feeling quite annoyed as he finally made his way to Naruto's cell. And one should never be subjected to an annoyed Itachi. However, Naruto hadn't fared much better, having to be watched by Zetsu, of all people. And now that he'd been given food the last two days, his voracious appetite was slowly starting to return with a vengeance. And history showed that a hungry Naruto was an ill-tempered Naruto.

And the two were about to clash.

When Itachi opened the cell, Naruto looked up glaring at him like everything was his fault. Itachi glared back just as heatedly.

"Well?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow without a word.

"Oh come on...I should at least get an apology or something. For Kami's sake, I've been hungry since I woke up last night...fortunately, you left that banana or I might have been passed out on the floor by now. Then I'm stuck with some overgrown carnivorous plant with a split personality as my guard who refuses to feed me or give me anything to drink and who then threatens to eat me. I mean, I know you could really care less about me down here..."

Itachi stared at the blonde like he had two heads. Did the idiot really think after everything he'd done, he didn't care? "Naruto-kun..."

"...but you could at least say something..."

"Naruto..."

"...But I know...you're an Uchiha, you'd never-"

"Naruto SHUT UP!" Itachi growled, losing some semblance of his prided control, his sharingan flaring to life with his outburst. Naruto's head jolted up, shocked that Itachi had just shown some emotion and even more surprised that he'd dropped the honorific.

Itachi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out before he opened his normal eyes and his mouth again, this time much quieter and calmer.

"Look...I was awakened first thing in the morning for a spur of the moment meeting with Pein who seems to think there's something wrong with giving a prisoner a bath and providing one with decent clothes. And now he's assigned me to do research on your seal like he hasn't already been doing research of his own. If he's such a _'god'_ he should be able to figure out a way at the snap of a finger. As if that wasn't enough, on my way to get some food, I get stopped by your favorite schizophrenic plant who then annoyed me with the exact same topic as the leader. And for the record, I don't have to feed you at all...you _are _still a prisoner after all." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe he'd said so much at one time. Looking a Naruto, he saw him blinking in a bit of awe at the fact that he'd spoken so much at one time. He really shouldn't be telling Naruto all of this anyhow. So, in lieu of saying anything more about it, he passed over a steaming cup. "Here."

Naruto didn't need to take a whiff to know what aroma that was. His eyes widened and he practically ripped off the lid.

"So I'm assuming this is the closest to an apology I'll get from you?" Itachi blinked. "Yeah...thought so. Well, I accept. It's probably more of one than I'll ever get from the teme anyway."

Naruto wolfed down his first taste of ramen in over three years with a relish. Itachi couldn't believe anyone could eat so fast. It's a wonder the blonde didn't have an ulcer...must be the Kyuubi.

"Oh...speaking of...have you heard anything..." Naruto started tentatively.

"About Sasuke?" Itachi finished for him. Naruto nodded. "If you want an answer, you better start walking...and faster than yesterday."

It didn't take Naruto long to start walking. Spurred on by possible news of his rival and best friend, he was willing to do whatever he had to. Itachi almost smiled at how easy it was to goad the blonde into doing the work.

"Orochimaru's dead." Naruto stopped.

"What?"

Itachi gestured for the young man to keep walking. Naruto moved ahead.

"Right around the time you were brought here."

"Sasuke?"

"Hn." Itachi smirked. Naruto grinned. It was a little reminiscent of happier times.

"I KNEW he wouldn't let that baka snake take over his body!"

Unfortunately, the happiness lasted for only a moment before it all came crashing down with a sudden horrible realization. Naruto's good mood vanished immediately, replaced with despair. He sighed in resignation. "I'm so far behind him now, I'll never be able to catch up. I guess I really am a dead last." He flopped onto his bed with his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands looking miserable. Itachi's eyes narrowed.

"Get up." Naruto didn't even look at Itachi.

"Why? What's the point? He's years ahead of me. I'm still the same pathetic genin he left behind. In fact, I'm not even worthy of that anymore." He sorrowfully mumbled.

Itachi felt like rolling his eyes at the pathetic display of self-pity he was being subjected to. Quicker than one could blink, his hand was balled into the collar of the blonde's shirt and he yanked him into the air, pushing him against the stone wall. "You're going to let a little thing like that stop you Naruto-kun? I'm disappointed in you."

"Let go." Naruto flailed around.

"No. You're going to listen and listen well." Itachi moved forward until their heads were only an inch apart from each other. Dull cerulean met impassive crimson. "You're only as weak as you _think _you are. You can sit here and pity yourself all day and night until you wither away and die or you can do something about it."

"Yeah right...like what?" Itachi let go of the collar and Naruto dropped to the floor.

"Don't act stupid Naruto...it doesn't become you." Naruto stood up looking confused for a moment. "I know you're not as dense as people have made you out to be." Itachi walked back to his chair and gracefully sat down. "If you're willing to put forth the effort, I'll help you. But, only you can make this happen. So, you can either sit here and feel sorry for yourself or you can train to make up what you lost. It's your choice."

Naruto looked down for a moment and thought about Itachi's words. He was right. Once upon a time, Naruto would never have thought about giving up. He never would've allowed someone to tell him he couldn't do something. Even the times he felt sorry for himself as he walked his life alone, he didn't allow it for long.

There was only one answer.

He stepped a bit away from the wall and started walking again.

Itachi nodded in approval.

"Don't get too comfortable with walking. The next time I'm here, we start jogging."

Naruto almost tripped over his feet at the thought of jogging. But then he thought about what Itachi had just said.

"Wait...you won't be back tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure." Itachi pulled out a scroll and opened it. Once the smoke cleared, a large bag of food was on the floor. Then he looked at Naruto. "Just in case I'm not back for a while."

"W-what's going on?" Itachi ignored the question as he felt the summons from Pein. He turned and walked toward the open cell door.

"I'm leaving. If you don't see me tomorrow, I won't be back for at least three days. Ration the food accordingly. And make sure you're prepared to work hard when I return."

"Wait!" Naruto tried to stop him, but he was too late.

Itachi had disappeared.

It was at that moment Naruto wondered why an enemy would be willing to train him.

* * *

Tobi and Kisame were in Iwa looking for the four tails jinchuuriki. After finally getting a lead as to where the jinchuuriki - who's name was Roshi - lived, the two Akatsuki members headed toward the mountains. Tobi, as usual, was his lively self.

"Oh yeah! Only an Akatuski rookie and already on an important mission."

Kisame laughed. "Don't get cocky newbie. This will be a tough mission."

"But I heard the guy is oooold." Tobi made it sound like the person was ancient.

"Hmph...I've been around long enough to know that older sometimes means wiser. And with the help of the four tail's chakra, it'll make him even more dangerous. Don't take him lightly brat."

"Yeah yeah yeah." Tobi placed his hands behind his head as he followed the shark man.

Upon reaching what looked to be an abandoned village, Kisame felt Samehada beginning to vibrate on his back. With a bloodthirsty grin, he released the sentient sword from it's wrappings and walked ahead. "Let's go Tobi...Looks like we've got prey to catch."

Meanwhile, in Water Country...

"That is quite an ugly turtle."

Deidara hovered over the water on his clay bird while Sasori, using chakra, stood on top of the water passively observing the demonic creature.

"Well Danna, I think, for once, I'll have to agree with you un."

"I don't know why he assigned me to this since I am unable to be in the water for long. Kisame would've been better suited."

"Well quit complaining and let's get this over with un." Deidara flew above the water creature, his hands creating two clay fish. He tossed both of them into the water and watched the two swim close to the three-tails. With a smirk, he made a one hand tiger seal and whispered "**Katsu**." Two explosions sent a huge geyser of water shooting into the air. The unintelligent creature changed it's course, speeding toward where Sasori was waiting with his favorite puppet: the Sandaime Kazekage. Waving his arms out wide he called out "**Satetsu Shigure!**" Small grains of iron sand formed into needles and flew toward the confused turtle demon, piercing all over its body, wounding it severely.

Deidara. moments later, landed on top of the now unconscious creature. "You didn't kill it did you Danna? Leader would be pissed un."

"Of course not Deidara. Don't knock my art."

"Pftt...you call this art? Your little puppet tricks aren't anywhere near as artistic as my explosions un."

"As if those pathetic fireworks of destruction could be considered art."

In the meantime, Sasori and Deidara worked together to tie puppet strings around the floating turtle in order to transport it, not even missing a beat of their impromptu argument in the process.

"Pathetic?! How dare you call my art pathetic! It's anything but that...it's a fiery expression un!" Deidara did a few hand signs and a second large clay bird appeared next to the first one. Attaching the strings to the birds, he climbed onto one and both birds rose into the air pulling the unconscious creature forward through the water.

Sasori stoically sat on top of the turtle's back. "Explosions are not art."

"The hell they aren't un!"

--

"Rain, rain, rain..." Tobi twirled around in circles as the rain fell and made puddles all around him. Kisame watched him, shaking his head at his temporary partner's antics. He was one of the few members that didn't find Tobi all that annoying. At least he was entertaining. It was also a bit refreshing to be able to hear another voice since Itachi was always such a silent partner except when the situation called for him to speak.

"We should get out of this rain. Can't have the body getting too cold. Let's wait it out under a tree."

"Okay Kisame-sempai!" Tobi chirped and walked ahead toward the treeline while Kisame hefted the deadweight body up onto his giant sword and carried him along.

"We should be hearing from leader soon."

When they reached the canopy of trees, Kisame let the body slide off of Samehada onto the ground while he and Tobi sat down to take a break until Leader called them. Tobi hummed a little tune and watched the water droplets form ripples in the small puddles. Then he looked over at the blue-skinned ninja with a grin, unseen behind the mask, but heard in his voice.

"You were right sempai."

"Hm?"

"He was pretty tough. But he was no match for us! We make a great team, right Kisame-sempai?" Kisame chuckled.

"Sure we do Tobi. Even though I did all the hard work."

"Aww...come on, I helped." Kisame let out a full out laugh before humoring the rookie.

"Yes, you did." And then both felt the summons.

--

--

**Housenka no Jutsu** - Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique

**Katsu** - Detonate

**Satetsu Shigure** - Iron Sand Drizzle

**a/n:** So, just FYI if you didn't figure it out already, the scenes with Itachi/Naruto, Kisame/Tobi, and Deidara/Sasori all occurred around the same time. Now then, Please take a few moments to review. Your thoughts are always appreciated.

And guess what? My muse is finally allowing me to think of something else. It's been so fixated on this story I drew a blank on any other story I was writing. Well, I suddenly got inspiration for Hiding Behind Masks. So look for chapter 21 in the next couple of days. If I get some time to proofread, maybe even tomorrow!


	7. True Colors

**a/n:** Well, it's been a while eh? Between being sick with some ugly mutating virus for the last almost month and trying to finish HBM, I've been putting off writing this chapter. However, I finally got well and found some time and inspiration to get up a new chapter. No mythology to begin this one though. But it'll be making a comeback soon enough. And thank you so much for your reviews, no matter whether it's commendation or criticism, I love them all for it gives me inspiration and ideas. So keep them coming. Hope you enjoy the new installment!

**Summary:** Immediately after the failed retrieve Sasuke mission, Naruto is put in solitary confinement thanks to a council vote that neither sannin can prevent. The day he turns 16, Danzou makes a deal with Akatsuki for the good of Konoha. It sets in motion a chain of events that will bring three deadly ninja together and change the shinobi world.

**Warnings:** ItaNaru pairing. Yep. You're still wondering how the heck I'm going to pull that off, aren't you? XD It'll be a looooooong time before you see it though, even if they'll interact quite a bit in the entire story. Also, **SPOILERS**...lots and lots of spoilers throughout the story. Well, I guess I should also warn you (although I hope you've already figured it out after the last chapter) that I am turning the normal Naruto world upside down and round and round. So don't be surprised at some of the characters that may or may not be still around. XD

**Disclaimer:** I would love to own Naruto Sasuke and Itachi, but I don't.

**The Sun, The Moon and The Sea**

**Chapter 7 – True Colors**

**--  
**

The screaming started a few hours after Itachi left. The inhuman sound was so chilling, so horrifying that Naruto spent the first night with a pathetic excuse for a pillow over his head to try to block the sound. By the next day, Naruto was beginning to wish he was back in his comatose state. At least then he wouldn't notice or care. He didn't get a wink of sleep the night before. How he had been able to block out the screams before, he had no idea. Had he really been so out of it that the screams were completely ignored by him? And Itachi said not to expect him back for at least three days? This would go on for days? Could anyone even remotely human actually last that long?

He jumped up, clamping his hands over his ears as he started pacing the length of his cell. The constant screams were making him crazy. Unfortunately, his hands were nowhere near enough to block out the piercing sound. Even if it did, he would still hear the sound like a ringing in his ears. The nonstop cry was now forcibly ingrained in his head so he could never ever forget it. How could someone possibly scream for such a long time without stopping to take a breath? Is this what each extraction was like? Is this what it felt like to have your chakra, your soul, your _life _sucked out of you? The thought was terrifying. The fact that this would be his fate if he didn't get out of there was even more terrifying.

He trembled at the thought.

It was the first time he'd actually felt the desire to take action on his own without being pushed by Itachi. For the first time since he'd been here, he was feeling like a caged animal. And he wanted out. But how was he supposed to make it out of a hideout that he didn't have a clue how to get out of? How would he get through all the members of Akatsuki? And how could he do it without his chakra? Hell, how would he even get out of his cell?

With a growl he stopped his pacing. He needed a distraction...anything to keep from focusing on the unending sounds of pain. It was unbearably heartbreaking to listen to and he couldn't take anymore. He closed his eyes and started thinking back to times so long ago it was more like a dream than a memory. The times before he lived in a cell...Before he was left for dead by his own teammate. Back when he was just the dobe on Team 7 with dreams of becoming hokage. Back to a time when he trained like crazy just to keep up with his rival. His eyes popped open. He needed to train. Now.

He started with stretching his out of shape limbs and tense muscles until they loosened up. Then he started jogging in place counting the steps aloud just to have some noise. Then came push ups. Then sit ups. He even attempted some taijutsu moves. All with the incessant counting. And then he began the routine anew. It was the only way to keep himself from going insane from the sounds above. And just maybe if he wore himself out, he'd fall into a blissful slumber, despite the noise.

* * *

It was something everyone in Konoha who knew her would find shocking.

Tsunade was _working_.

And sober.

Shizune would probably die of shock.

Yes, Tsunade was doing paperwork. If anyone else saw it, they might assume it was the end of the world.

A knock at her door had her looking up from the slowly dwindling pile. A bear anbu entered the room.

"Team Asuma has just returned with the Suna refugees. They are waiting at the gates for direction."

"Ah. Good. I will be there shortly." The anbu bowed and left to relay the message. She sighed and stood. For once she was happy to be sober. She had to figure out what to do with so many people.

"SHIZUNE!!!!"

There was a thud nearby of something dropping and then footsteps running before the door opened to reveal her flustered secretary. "Yes Tsunade-sama?"

"Come with me." Tsunade walked out the door assuming Shizune was following her. "The group from Suna has arrived and I will need some help getting them placed."

"Yes Tsunade-sama."

* * *

Danzou was sitting in his ransacked office. If one didn't know any better one could think he was sulking or maybe even brooding. He felt the chakra coming his way before the knock came.

"Come in Sai."

Sai walked in, not seeming a bit phased by the condition of the man's office. He kneeled before his leader and waited. Danzou sighed.

"Rise young one. You have news for me?"

"Yes Danzou-sama. The hunter team failed. Uchiha Sasuke was able to subdue them all, along with his team."

"Hn." Danzou already knew, when he had not received word by the time he expected, that something was wrong. The fact that Sai was standing before him alone was enough to deduce the facts. If he had not already destroyed his office, he would've probably thought about doing so now. How could his ninja fail? They were some of his best. "He has a team, you say?"

"Yes. Two males. One female. They knew we were coming."

His eyes narrowed at the young nin. "How is that possible?"

"The female seems to have the ability to sense chakra. They already knew exactly how many were after them. One or both of the males look like they may have been Orochimaru's former experiments. One has evidence of a curse seal and the other has the ability to turn to water at will."

"Hmm." Another setback to his plans. Things were turning out to be much more difficult than he thought. "Anything else."

"No sir."

"You are dismissed." With another bow, Sai quietly left. Danzou stared at the closed door, his mind turning. Unfortunately, he couldn't deal with the Uchiha right now. He had to prepare for the meeting with clan heads.

* * *

The next day was no better for the Godaime, who now had double the paperwork due to all of the refugees. Tsunade rubbed her temples with her fingers and moaned. "What the hell was I thinking taking this job." she muttered.

"Now you know why I didn't take it."

She gasped and her brown eyes widened as she turned toward the sound of the familiar voice she hadn't heard in almost two years. "Jiraiya?"

"Hello Tsunade-hime." He walked out of the shadowed corner he appeared in and grinned at the buxom blonde.

"What are you doing here?"

"What? I can't visit my favorite teammate every once in a while." Tsunade rolled her eyes at that statement.

"Like you would come back here to just visit." She sat back in her chair and waited.

"Ok fine, this isn't just a social visit. We need to talk...where walls don't have ears." She narrowed her eyes and then nodded.

"Alright." Standing up and grabbing his arm she flashed through some hand signs. In a flash they found themselves in a bedroom. It was the only place she trusted completely. Checking her wards to see if they were still holding, she nodded in confirmation and then grabbed a bottle of sake from a drawer and sat in a chair. Jiraiya sat next to her. "So...talk." Except, he didn't talk. He stared. She saw the pervert's mind working overtime and started to glare. But he either didn't notice or didn't care because he opened his mouth and immediately stuck his foot in it.

"Wow...your bedroom hime? You know all you had to do was ask. I'm always re-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll waste a really good bottle of sake breaking this one over your head." She growled. Jiraiya chuckled while trying - and failing - to look innocent.

"What? I wasn't thinking anything bad." Tsunade raised a brow. She knew her perverted teammate too well.

"Heh, heh...uh, so yeah...talk..." His visage suddenly changed from the goofy pervert to someone much more serious. "Akatsuki's on the move again."

Tsunade looked at him confused. "But why? That doesn't make any sense."

"No it doesn't, but there it is." He paused and poured himself a cup of sake and took a long drink before continuing. "They've already captured the three and four tails. That only leaves one more...the eight tails."

"What could they possibly be planning? According to you, what they were planning was contingent upon having all nine beasts." She left the rest unsaid. But they both understood. Naruto was gone and so, therefore, was the nine tails.

"That's what I was told before and the source was very reliable. However, I can't seem to reach my source anymore, so I have no idea what's going on."

"Hmm." Tsunade sipped on her own sake before speaking again. "So...?"

"What?"

"I know you...you wouldn't come here with this unless you thought it would affect Konoha in some way."

"The truth is, I don't know if it will. I'm here because I need to get some answers. It's the only way I can get some peace of mind."

Tsunade's brows furrowed for a moment as she tried to figure out what he meant. When it finally hit her, she sighed. "He's gone Jiraiya. There's no bringing him back." Jiraiya suddenly looked uncharacteristically angry.

"You've finally accepted that?" Tsunade shook her head sadly.

"I don't think I'll ever accept it. I'll never get over it." she whispered.

"Then don't get over it." The toad sage said simply.

"What? But..."

"I...nothing...Look, I need to talk to Kakashi. And then I'm leaving and I doubt if I'll be back anytime soon, if ever." Those words sent a jolt through the blonde. The possibility of never seeing her goofy teammate again made her heart constrict painfully. She looked down at the floor as she talked.

"You're going to do something dangerous aren't you?"

"Me? Dangerous?" He laughed. "You know me hime, I'm too old and tired for that kind of stuff. I'm just going to be doing some heavy reconnaissance." Tsunade attempted a smile of her own but, again, she knew him. What he would be doing would definitely be dangerous. She also knew that, besides herself, he really had no reason to stay. But without him, what reason did she have to stay herself? Yes, Konoha held, and would always hold, a place in her heart. But the motivation was gone. She stared ahead while she turned things over in her mind. With a sigh, she raised her hand to rub her forehead. What she was thinking was crazy. Really crazy. But she was tired and Jiraiya was leaving for good. He and Shizune were all she had left, yet Jiraiya meant more than she really wanted to admit to herself at the moment. Finally, her eyes shifted into a glare of determination.

"I'm going with you." Jiraiya shook his head.

"No, it's better that I talk to him alone."

"That's not what I mean you idiot. I'm leaving with you." He stood up and stared at her in shock.

"You can't leave! You're the hokage. What about Konoha?"

"This place ran just fine before me and it will still be here after I'm dead and gone. I'm tired Jiraiya. The only reason I've kept it up for this long is because...because of _him_. I have no desire to do this anymore. And I know the council is probably making decisions behind my back, even as we speak, because I never meet with them anymore. They piss me off and I'm just too tired and frustrated to deal with those two. I'm resigning and going with you."

Jiraiya sighed and walked over to stand in front of her placing his hands on her shoulders as he stared at her seriously. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She nodded.

"Yes...I am. I even know who I want as my successor."

"What about Shizune?"

"She can stay. I want her to head the hospital. It's time for her to live her own life instead of following an old woman like me around."

"Alright then. I'll go see Kakashi. You take care of what you need to. We'll leave at first light."

* * *

It might be late, but the council chamber was buzzing with activity. Each and every clan head was present and were talking amongst themselves, speculating on what the meeting could be about. All were notified of the important meeting, but no one was informed as to the reasons behind it. The opening of the door caused the chatter to cease. Danzou walked in and slowly made his way down the aisle to his usual seat. Nara Shikaku lazily observed the man, then turned his head to raise a brow at his two teammates, Akamichi Chouza and Yamanaka Inoichi. Chouza shrugged while Inoichi frowned slightly. All of them were suspicious of Danzou. Unfortunately, no one could ever find anything on the sneaky man. Shikaku had a feeling the reason for this late night meeting had something to do with him.

"Troublesome," he mumbled as he relaxed in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

Finally the council walked in and the room all rose out of respect for the two elders as they did traditionally for every meeting. The only glaring absence was that of the hokage. And though this had become a normal occurrence over the past couple of years, a meeting of such seeming importance should have the hokage present. That started a new round of murmuring through the group until one of the council members was seated and the other raised a hand for silence.

"Thank you all for attending at such short notice. We will try to make this meeting as brief as possible." Koharu stated.

"Has Tsunade-sama become so incompetent that she does not even attend such an important session?" Hyuuga Hiashi asked.

"Actually, that is exactly why this meeting was called. Some are concerned that Tsunade is not fulfilling the responsibilities of her position. We have been gathered together to discern if she should be removed from her position and, if so, who should replace her."

Murmurs began anew as the reasons for the meeting were brought to light.

"Hm...troublesome."

"Are you serious?!"

"Who said such things?"

"Well, it is true that she hasn't done anything in a long time."

The talking continued until Homura banged the gavel. Once everyone was silent again, Koharu continued. "I'm sure all of you have something to say. Why don't we start to the left and go around." Of course, just to the left was Danzou.

"It is my belief that she is no longer capable of fulfilling her role as hokage. She has been remiss of her duties for more than a year. She shows little regard for meetings. She bases her decision on emotions and allows her relationships to affect the choices she makes. Between Sound, Suna, and the threat of Akatsuki, the entire village is restless and on edge. Konoha would be in a bad position if there was an attack right now. And I doubt Tsunade could handle the threat. There's also the matter of her reputation to consider. I think she should be removed."

Hiashi, who sat next to him, gave a nod of agreement. "I agree. While I believe she has some good qualities, I believe she would be better served doing what she does best - heading the hospital with her excellent skills as a medic. Her skills are invaluable in that area as I know personally from how she was able to heal Neji as well as many others. There are a couple of people I believe would be capable of being hokage. Hatake Kakashi would be one. Even Shikaku here would make a good hokage." The lazy ninja who looked to be asleep actually looked up at that and chuckled.

"Maa...Do I look like I want to be a leader? It's enough trouble being a clan head. I have no desire to be hokage. It's too much work. I do agree with you, though, that Kakashi would be a good candidate. Still, I don't think Tsunade-sama is doing a bad job. It would be a drag to have to take over a position like she did with no experience and still keep Konoha on it's feet."

"Yeah. I think she's doing fine. So what she's had some trouble...she's human after all. And what's wrong with showing a little emotion? Being a ruler isn't always about ruling with a cold-hearted iron fist. Neither the Sandaime or the Yondaime ran things that way and Konoha did just fine. And I don't see what's the big deal about her reputation. So what she drinks and gambles every once in a while. Everybody's got their vices. Not like it's affecting the way she runs the village." Inuzuka Tsume spoke up.

"There is still Jiraiya. He was considered before." Chouza said with a shrug.

"And he refused before. What makes you think he'd change his mind?" Homura reminded him.

"It's possible."

"Still, he's the only source we have on Akatsuki. And his spy network is invaluable. He'd be more valuable to us keeping tabs on our enemies as he has done for so long." Koharu stated. Most agreed either audibly or nodded their heads.

Aburame Shibi, known for his objectivity, had been quiet so far. Now, he finally spoke up. "I believe that there are good points to each side of the story. While Tsunade may not be the best hokage ever, she has done well considering the conditions in which she was appointed. She had no experience or training and yet she was able to get the village rebuilt and thriving again after Orochimaru's invasion. She may not have always made the best decisions, but anyone can look at how a situation was handled and second guess it. However, none of us are the ones that have to make the decision and be accountable for it. That being said, though, it seems that she is distancing herself from the elders and the clan heads. She has also been known to sleep or drink while working, which could easily give others a bad impression of not just her, but the entire village. Also, her emotions have been quite scattered since the retrieval mission and have gotten progressively worse as time has passed. It may be best that another hokage be put in place. However, I recommend that she be asked to step down and allowed to choose her successor. It's only proper protocol."

Almost everyone nodded in agreement with the bug user. Danzou, though, was silently seething. Not one person considered him as a candidate yet. He was also hoping that Tsunade would lose her position in the most embarrassing way possible. Koharu glanced his way and, though she knew he had ulterior motives, it was only right to recommend him like she and Homura said they would.

"Your words will be taken under consideration. Also, I would like to make my own recommendation. Danzou knows this village inside and out. He's well respected and knows how to lead."

Complete silence met her recommendation. While they respected him as an elder member of Konoha's shinobi ranks, most of the clan heads did not trust the man. Even Hiashi, who was stricter than most, was not exactly enamored of Danzou. He did respect him though and therefore gave the man a nod after Koharu recommended him.

"So can we agree-"

BOOM!

The doors banged against the walls, interrupting Koharu's words.

In the doorway stood the Godaime Hokage.

* * *

Kakashi was passed out on his couch in the dark when there was a knock at his door. He opened his one eye with a grumble and closed it again. He knew it was a ninja by the chakra, but he didn't bother reading it. He really was hoping whoever it was would just go away and leave him alone.

The pounding persisted.

"Kakashi! I know you're in there. Open the door you brat!" a familiar voice yelled. Kakashi's eye widened and he sat up. But just because he knew who it was didn't mean he was going to run to the door. With a sigh, he got up and stretched his weary limbs then scratched his bare stomach and ran a hand through his unruly silver locks as he walked to the door. Opening the door, he leaned against it and observed the grinning toad sannin.

"Well, it's about time you opened the door."

"Well, this is an...unexpected pleasure." Kakashi drawled.

"It should be an honor that your favorite author decides to come visit you. You going to invite me in anytime soon?"

"Do I even have a choice?" he mumbled and waved his hand in an exaggerated beckoning gesture. Jiraiya smiled again and nodded in thanks as he stepped inside the dark threshold.

"Sit in the dark alot?" _'Depressed much?'_

"I _was _sleeping."

"Ah."

Closing the door, Kakashi leaned back against it and observed as Jiraiya flicked on the light switch - the sudden glare of brightness made him squint his single eye - and then helped himself to the couch. "So, do you have a reason for coming to see me so late or is this just a late night social call?"

"Something's been weighing on my mind lately and I needed to talk to you." Kakashi raised a brow but remained silent. "About that night."

Kakashi heaved a great sigh like the weight of the world was on him. Pushing away from the door with his hands in his pockets, he walked away. "In that case, tea? Or will I need something stronger for this?"

"Well if you have the latter, I never turn that down." Jiraiya grinned. You'd think he hadn't just drank sake with Tsunade no less than half an hour ago.

"Hn." Kakashi returned with a bottle and two saucers pouring some for both of them and took his with him to a chair. "Well, let's get this over with. What do you want to know?"

"I need to know everything you remember about that day."

Kakashi closed his eye. He really didn't want to relive this again. His heart seemed to die a little more every day he was reminded that the bright ball of sunshine wasn't among them. "I went over all of this. More than once. It should be in the report."

"I know. And I'm sorry to make you tell it again, but I need to hear it from you. Start with just before you got to the valley."

The copy nin swallowed down the entire cup of sake and kept his eyes closed. "Pakkun and I were nearing the valley. Maybe a mile or two away. I felt such a surge of power. Part of it was Kyuubi's, but there was also another tainted sort of chakra, probably from Orochimaru's curse seal. The backlash practically knocked us out of the trees. When I got there, the evidence of a battle was all over the place. There was all sorts of damage and the waters were still churning. At the bottom toward the edge of the water we found Sasuke's headband and...his tattered orange jumpsuit..." Kakashi opened his eye suddenly. "Wait...no...that's not right. I thought..." Something else flashed through his brain before it disappeared. He squeezed his eye shut and rubbed a hand over his head as if he was in pain. Jiraiya saw the action and grew concerned.

"Kakashi? You alright?"

"Just a sudden headache. I'm fine." He pinched his nose. "I just...I feel like there's something I'm missing." The sannin's eyes widened, although Kakashi didn't see it.

"What do you mean?"

"I remember thinking I was going to go after Sasuke, but I changed my mind. I don't recall why though." Kakashi shook his head and continued on with his story. "Anyways, I came back and told Tsunade-sama what happened."

"What about the trip back? Anything happen on the way back?"

There was silence as Kakashi thought about it. Jiraiya watched him closely. So he saw the younger man's brow furrow as he seemed to struggle with something. An idea was beginning to taking shape in the sage's mind and it wasn't a good one.

"I...I don't...remember." Kakashi finally answered. "I remember getting to the gates of the village and not seeing anyone there though. Maybe I just blocked out everything else." He pinched the bridge of his nose as he saw something else flash through his mind. "No...Someone met me...I just can't remember who. But I remember going to find Tsunade-sama. She was doing surgery. But when she came out, I told her about N-Naruto. That he was gone. That there was nothing left but his clothes, tattered and charred. There was a hole in the jacket where his heart would be. I-I know that Sasuke used that jutsu...Chidori. No one could survive a direct hit like that. I know that ninja were dispatched to check the water and the surrounding area, but there was no trace of him except for blood in different places. It was tested and found to be Naruto's. The official report says that it is likely that upon his death, Kyuubi's chakra caused the body to disintegrate."

"So you never saw a body?"

"No." Jiraiya's brow furrowed at the answer. _'How did everyone assume he was dead? Did no one ask for evidence? A body? Something?'_ Then he looked at Kakashi. _'No...no one would ask because Kakashi is considered one of Konoha's elite shinobi. They wouldn't question his word.' _Jiraiya stood up with a sigh and walked over and stood in front of Kakashi's hunched over figure. He clapped a hand onto the other man's shoulder and squeezed it.

"You've lost a lot haven't you kid? Obito, Minato, Naruto... I know how much Minato and Obito meant to you and that Naruto reminded you a bit of both of them. However, I doubt that any of them would want you to continue to grieve over them like this." Kakashi looked up into the eyes of his sensei's mentor. Yes, the older man had hit the nail right on the head. Minato was much more than just a sensei. He was family. And Obito... He meant so much to him. But Naruto...things were a bit different. More than anything else, he felt guilty for not being there at all for him, for ignoring him, for not training him. "They would want you to live on, to find happiness, to help this generation not to repeat the mistakes of the past."

With a bitter chuckle, he leaned back in the chair, dislodging himself from the gentle grip. He let his head drop back onto the top of the chair and stared up at the ceiling like there was something interesting there. "I'm not even sure I know how to do that anymore."

"Well, you better figure it out brat. As of right now, Tsunade is resigning her position and naming her successor. I don't know who she has in mind. It could be you for all I know-"

"But I can't be hokage? I don't have the first clue about how to do it."

"And she did? No one knows exactly how to lead an entire village at the beginning. It's a daunting position. That's why I never took it. Minato at least had training from Sarutobi. Tsunade walked in cold turkey and had to pull Konoha back together after all the losses because of the invasion. Even without experience, she did it. You've been hailed as genius since practically birth, for crying out loud. And you're one of the best ninja Konoha's ever had. Who cares if you don't know exactly how to play the game. Like anything, you figure it out as you go along. I for one think you'd make a good hokage." Jiraiya stated with a shrug. "That is if you stop wallowing in misery. Kakashi, leave the past where it is. Live in the present and look to the future. Help make sure it's bright for the new generation."

Kakashi was silent but he watched the great toad sage move to the door and open it.

"Oh, you also might want to clean up a bit. Can't have the possible candidate for Hokage be a slob can we?" Then a perverted grin slid onto Jiraiya's face. "And who knows, maybe I'll finally get some time to publish a new edition." With a wink and a laugh, he closed the door.

For the first time in a long time, Kakashi smiled. For which reason, only time would tell.

On the other side of the door, Jiraiya sighed, the smile turning into a frown. The nagging feeling was back, only much stronger after his talk with the copy ninja. He was almost positive that someone altered Kakashi's memories, and maybe anyone else who had contact with him. But who would do something like that? And if Kakashi's memories had been screwed with, who's to know what really happened. Just maybe.... He really hoped he wasn't setting up himself and Tsunade for disappointment. But his gut was telling him he was right. And if he was right...god help them all. With one last sigh, he disappeared.

* * *

Tsunade burst in through the wooden double doors, making them slam against the walls as she strode in. The entire room went on alert. The clan heads stood ready to attack. Danzou's Root, invisible of course, were ready as well. When everyone saw that it was their hokage causing such a disturbance, their eyes widened in shock. With a smirk she strode forward towards the front of the chambers, where even the two elders had the decency to look slightly guilty. Not that she even cared anymore. She already knew they had been meeting behind her back. But she would be so happy to stick it to, not only them, but to Danzou too - who had the nerve to be looking smug.

Too bad she was leaving. She would almost love to stay just to see the smug look be wiped off his face after he heard what was in the scroll in her hand.

"Tsunade. What a surprise. I didn't think you would be joining us." Koharu said, looking innocent.

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Save it Utatane. You and everyone else in this room knows I wasn't told of this meeting. But I don't care. You can go right back to work without me, as soon as I give you this." She put two scrolls on the desk. Both Koharu and Homura looked at the two rolled scrolls, then up at a blank faced Tsunade.

"What is this?" Koharu asked.

"If you read it, you'll find out. But to save you at least some trouble, I'll give you a summary. I quit! I won't even pretend to think you care...I'm sure at least a couple of you will rejoice the moment I leave this room. One is my letter of resignation. The other is the naming of my successor among other things. That's at least one decision you won't have the ability to make tonight. Now, I'll be taking my leave."

"Wait! You can't just leave before we discuss your resignation and successor! We have to approve your choice."

Tsunade chuckled and spun around with her hands on her hips. "Oh I think you have discussed my forced resignation quite enough lately. And since you can't seem to agree on an action, I decided to take care of the problem for you. As for the successor, there is no discussion. He is the next hokage. I will appoint him tomorrow at first light. After that, I will wash my hands of every affair of this place, thank Kami!" And with those final words, she walked out of the room. The moment she closed the door, she leaned her back against it and listened to the muffled voices inside.

Homura opened the first scroll reading aloud the words outlining the sannin's plans to resign and her reasons for it. That caused quiet murmuring. But that was nothing compared to what happened when he read the words of the second scroll.

_I have named my successor as Hatake Kakashi. He has always been a strong and loyal shinobi of Konoha, trained by the Yondaime Hokage. He has the knowledge and skills needed to lead the village and keep it safe. I am also naming Shizune as head of the hospital. She has lived and trained with me for years and has the knowledge and skills to do as good a job as I could.  
_

The chambers went into an uproar, most of the noise coming from three very specific individuals. With a smile at her accomplishment, she walked away, feeling lighter than she had in a long time.

* * *

It was early.

There were no council members present.

There was no pomp and circumstance.

And there was no crowd to witness the event. Only two people.

Kakashi stood at attention. He had been on time, for once. True to Jiraiya's words, he had done some soul-searching that night and decided that the older man was right. It was time to leave the past behind. So, when he was summoned at four in the morning by the nagging sound of a beak tapping on his window, he was at the office of the hokage at the appointed time of five a.m.

"Normally there would be much more fanfare for this, but I'm sure it really doesn't matter to you, does it?" Tsunade asked the masked ninja. He shook his head. Kakashi was never one to care about all of that. "Alright then. Let's make this quick shall we?" She nodded to her teammate and Jiraiya held out the traditional red and white robe and hat of the hokage. "Please hold up your right hand." Then she had him repeat the official oath of office. After the words were spoken, she placed the hat on his head and placed the robe on his shoulders.

And that was that.

"Congratulations brat." Jiraiya said as the two males shook hands.

"Thanks...I think." Kakashi found the whole situation sort of surreal. He was trying to resolve how much things had changed for him in just a few short hours. Being a political figure was the last thing he'd ever thought would be in his future.

"Don't worry Kakashi. You'll do fine. Just a few words of advice from me to you...Don't trust the council, watch out for Danzou, and find yourself a good secretary who will do your paperwork for you." All three of them chuckled at that. "And this is for you. It will tell you everything you need to know." She handed Kakashi a scroll.

"You're really leaving." He stated as he took the scroll.

"Yes." Tsunade took another scroll and placed it on Tonton's collar then hugged the pig. "You take care of Shizune, okay." The little pig squealed somewhat sadly. She gave her pet a pat on the head before standing.

"We'll still keep in touch though." Jiraiya stated. "I'll keep you abreast of anything that goes on out there that will affect Konoha. And maybe I'll send you a present or two." He gave the newly appointed Rokudaime a goofy grin. Tsunade smacked him upside the head.

"Pervert."

"That's super-pervert!"

"Whatever." Tsunade rolled her eyes and then smiled and nodded at the copy nin. "Good luck Kakashi. I know I'm leaving Konoha in good hands."

Kakashi nodded and watched as the two disappeared. He took up a spot at the picture window and looked out at the faces that were just able to seen clearly as the day slowly grew brighter. He chuckled and tossed the hat on the chair then ran a hand through his hair. To think his face would be going up next. "Well Minato-sensei...I bet you never thought I'd end up here huh?"

The longer he looked at the chiseled face of his old sensei, the more he wondered whether the lips formed a grin or a grimace.

--

The two sannin appeared well outside the village and started walking to the west.

"So, where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there."

She growled. "We better not just be wandering around you old fool. And don't you dare think you're going to stop at every single hotsprings along the way so you can peep, you pervert."

"Heh heh...Tsunade, I would never think that." And hand moved up to the back of his turned head as he tried to hide his perverted grin. She smacked him on the back of the head.

"Like I would believe that."

"Well fine, if I can't examine the beauty of the fairer sex, you can't stop at every casino in town."

"What?!" The ex-hokage yelled, an eye twitching. The toad sage shrugged.

"It's only fair."

Tsunade glared and grumbled, but decided to moved on to more important things. "What did you find out from Kakashi?" She didn't expect a weary sigh as an answer. "What?"

"My feeling turned out to be right. But, it's worse than I thought. I'll tell you about it when we're out of Fire Country and safe somewhere with lots of wards. The last thing we need is anyone from back home overhearing and spreading the word to the wrong people."

* * *

Itachi blinked the sleep away. He still felt a bit tired, but at least he wasn't exhausted anymore. It took three and half days to do the extraction. He spent the last day and a half sleeping to recover. It was silent...no more screaming...not even the sound of Deidara's chatter or Kisame's booming voice. Exactly how he liked it. He lay flat on his bed, his eyes open staring up into complete darkness. Many were unnerved by the fact that it was not just dark like the night here in the caves. It was _dark_. No matter what time it was, if there was no light in your room, you were surrounded by an inky blackness so deep you could hold your hand in front of your eyes and not see it. It didn't bother him though. Of course, with the Sharingan, it was never completely dark. But even in the confines of his room, when he released his doujutsu and stared into the darkness with his own eyes, he felt just as comforted. The darkness allowed him clarity.

And it was with this clarity that he allowed himself to think of the days ahead.

Only one jinchuuriki remained to be captured and he was sure that Kakuzu and Hidan would be able to finish the job. There wasn't much time left anymore. Unfortunately, he, the one who always found an answer to everything, had no answer to this.

How could he possibly fix this?

He doubted it would take the two so-called immortals longer than a few days to capture the eight tails. Then another day to get back. They would probably immediately start the extraction.

Itachi very seldom cursed, but he felt like it now. He was uncharacteristically second guessing his original plan. Maybe he should have gotten Naruto out before the others had returned with the three and four tails. But Naruto wasn't ready. He would've been nothing but dead weight. He was even toying with the possibility of Naruto going alone during the eight tails extraction and when he was rested, he'd somehow catch up. But without chakra, the blonde wouldn't get very far even if he had a few days head start. Without a doubt, Naruto would be caught unless he got to him first and he couldn't guarantee that happening.

So the only possibility now was to wait until after the next extraction. That was cutting it dangerously close. Madara and Pein would waste no time in extracting the nine-tails as soon as they recovered. So, the timing would have to be precise. And he would have to involve Naruto, for there was no other way.

Sitting up and turning on the light at his bedside table, he opened the drawer and found a scroll. A new plan slowly began to take shape and he started writing.

--

--

**a/n:** No cliffhanger this time. There were a lot of happenings in this chapter though. Next chapter we'll get to see Killer Bee! And I know someone who will be very happy about that. ;) Heh, I'm gonna have fun writing him. XD Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to click that middle button and review. :)


	8. The Dreaded Author's Note

I know everyone is seeing this and going "oh no, not the dreaded AN!" I hate when I see these things so I know you do too. I never thought I'd have to put one of these up, but stuff happens sometimes. So before I get started, all I can say is I'm so sorry for what I'm about to do. Really, I am.

Without getting way too descriptive of my personal life I'll just say that if any of you have been keeping up with my profile, you know work and my mom being in the hospital have kept me from being able to finish writing any chapters lately. Well, I guess when it rains it pours because I just found out a couple of days ago that my mother will need to have major surgery on Friday. She's already weak and has a bad heart and that's just going to make the surgery even harder. So right now I'm a mess. My mother is my best friend and it just about kills me to think about what could happen if anything goes wrong. I don't know what I'd do without her. Even after the surgery, she'll have to spend the next month in the hospital going through rehab and me, my dad and a couple of other family members are going to have to split time so there can always be someone staying with her.

The last time I attempted to do anything writing-wise was last weekend and I think I only got a couple of paragraphs done. And now I'm too stressed out and emotionally wrecked to even think about writing anything. And I really don't know how soon I'll have a chance to write again. I'm stopping short of saying I'm on hiatus because you may see some Dobe and Teme Chronicles here and there because one shots and drabbles are easier for me to write. And I'm sure there will be some times when I'm in the hospital with nothing to keep me company but my blackberry and I have been known to type on it when I need to so I might write some of my chapters on my phone.

Again, I apologize to all my faithful readers. I hope you all are willing to be patient a bit longer. I'll do my best to make it worth the wait.

- Twisted Vixen


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